Legacies of Heroes
by AoifeDarkllove
Summary: Percy, Annabeth and the seven are still recovering from the Giant War, and the Golden Trio have just cleaned up theirs. But when a prophecy dictates that Percy and Annabeth's freedom from hell lies in another world, and another god wants revenge, who knows how far they're willing to go to achieve?
1. Chapter 1

**There is a Little Sort-of-Man Living in Our Heads**

 **Percy POV**

 **I slowly rose to consciousness** , seemingly knowing that I was waking up while still asleep. The sea rushed in my ears and Annabeth's body was pressed flush to my side, warming me on the cold night. My eyes opened gradually the stars visible on the dark horizon through my non-existent walls. The moon shone brightly.

But something was amiss.

Not wanting to move, I forced myself awake, scanning the room with my eyes, looking for something out of place. The Minotaur's horn hung crooked on the pillar gathering dust and the trident leant against the east wall. The telescope was pointed out to sea and the book on the chest was lain open. But something was wrong. The ropes stretched between the wooden pillars were tied with the same knot and the boat's mast flag was tied up. I could even see my crumpled clothes from yesterday on the back of the armchair in the corner.

My head fell back against my pillow as my eyes drifted shut as Morpheus dragged me down again, the noise of the cracking fire filling the air with sharpened sounds, unlike the muffled waves. I was almost asleep before I realised my mistake.

I didn't have a fireplace.

My eyes snapped open with a jerk, and I sat up sharply causing Annabeth to roll over.

My roof was alight.

 _How did I miss that?_

I practically flew out of bed and scooped Annabeth up, not caring about her state of undress. Shooting out of the cabin I ran to the middle of the cabins, and turned around. The ground trembled, and the burning cabin grew smaller as the fire roared to life where we had been moments ago.

I felt the ground move, but not in an earthquake way. It was more of a 'I'm standing on a rock that someone just moved' feeling. I spun on my heel just in time to see the ground crack open.

A fear worse than death creeped in causing my stomach to churn, me to stumble back, my heart to stop and my knees crumple. I clutched Annabeth to my chest, her grumbling slightly as she stirred. "No..." the whisper barely escaped my lips as my throat hitched and the familiar fear and sense of hopelessness entered me again. I buried my head in Annabeth's hair and turned her head to the crook of my neck as I sobbed.

 _I give up, I can't do this anymore, I won't, just take us, be done with this, I give up, I can't…_

For once in my life, I genuinely didn't care about the other cabins- a feat I'm not proud of. I didn't care if they crumbled to dust, as long as it was quick. The mere presence of the primordial was enough to terrify, and the anger was sure enough to kill on sight.

I felt Annabeth tremble and tighten up as she woke and somehow comprehended what was happening. She didn't question anything, she simply clutched my hair and joined my sobbing, accepting it. We practically felt the swoop through the air as Tartarus's sword cut fresh.

"I love y-"

And everything exploded.

I screamed and screamed through the pain, clutching my everything to my chest while she did the same, as shrieks of anguish tore through our lips and into the night. I rocked as my pain dulled, gasps wracking our bodies.

The ground rumbled again and I panicked, I couldn't take this anymore. I started to hyperventilate along with Annabeth as we sat interlocked. We couldn't do this again, this is it.

This is it.

Now, I'm not one to beg, I'm not one to plead, but.

Oh, gods, _please_ let this be it.

And then a sound seemed to pierce the deafening roar of what I now realised was silence. Murmurs of voices became clearer. The hard ground became softer, the heat cooler. But I didn't waver my grip and neither did Annabeth.

A particularly piercing voice cut through my panic.

" _Calm down."_

I felt my hyperventilating soothe slightly, but not completely fade as fear still gripped my heart.

" _Calm down."_

It worked further still, but I wasn't at ease. We were far from it.

" _CALM DOWN."_

My rocking stopped and we froze, our breathing unsteady and shallow but, I knew we weren't there. Not that we were necessarily safe, but not there.

I felt the sheets under my legs, the cool wind push at my back, the thirty plus people watching outside with sorrow in their eyes. I pushed my head further down, into Annabeth's collarbone, and squinted my eyes shut. Annabeth wrapped her arms tight around my neck and I felt her face pressed into my shoulder. The sobs started up again.

We were never going to be fine, never going to forget, never going to be free of there. We're never going to stop being plagued by it. Ever.

Its like when someone calls you 'ugly'. The say it to you every day, and its not even noticeable. But then you feel it. And then it hurts. And then it burns. And then it makes you scream yourself hoarse.

.o.O.0.O.o.

I woke again to the sun warming my face and curled around a small ball. I felt Annabeth stir awake, and we both sat up, exhausted. But I was surprised.

Littered around our room were campers. They were coating the floor both inside and out, some on the beach, the couch, the ground around the cabin. Everywhere.

They all began to wake when I realised that the entire Aphrodite cabin were splayed out around our bed. I turned my head as I sensed a bigger movement, and saw Piper propped up against the dresser and looking at us tiredly. A small sound escaped Annabeth and Piper understood.

"We heard you two last night. It was worse- the whole camp heard." Piper's voice was low and quiet as the rustle of everyone else continued to wake from their slumber.

We were silent as we gripped each other's hands.

"It took the entire cabin three times to charmspeak you two out of it. You're getting stronger, and the nightmares worse."

I looked down briefly, hating the fact that we woke everyone up again. It wasn't fair on them.

I turned again to Piper, and opened my arms. She smiled softly, sympathy in her eyes as she slumped into our open arms and we hugged her. I heard Annabeth whisper a quiet "Thank you." in her ear, and Piper murmured slightly in assent.

Campers started filing out and we got dressed. We profusely - see I can use big words - apologised and thanked the Aphrodite cabin for their efforts and proceeded to exit the cabin. We walked hand in hand to the pavilion where the majority of camp had sat down at in their pyjamas.

The smell of food immediately brightened my day and I tugged Annabeth forward.

"Seriously, Seaweed Brain. You know your addiction to food makes you easily susceptible to manipulation, right?"

A grin graced her face as her eyes twinkled mischievously and I smirked at her. "It's the reason I grew up big and strong, Wise Girl." I nodded to myself. I waggled my eyebrows at her "If you catch my drift."

She shoved me half-heartedly and I stumbled into the decking but made straight for the food table, not missing a beat. Annabeth appeared behind me, asking "And the blue?"

"Just an added bonus." I replied. I turned back to her, holding a plate piled high with blue pancakes, positively drowning in syrup, and she smiled disbelievingly as she loaded up her own plate. We walked over to the Poseidon table and sat down opposite each other. I hungrily dug into my meal, practically devouring it with my eyes, while Annabeth thoughtfully scanned the pavilion.

"Do you think Will and Nico are gonna officially come out? Like as a couple?" she asked me, turning back to her food.

"-'Mmm no' shure 'nnufef." I replied seriously, my mouth full of heaven. I swallowed and continued. "I think Will is more confident, but Nico still needs to settle in first. But I think so, yeah. Not too soon though."

She hummed in agreement. We ate in comfortable silence, listening to the adjacent tables and catching bits of conversation. I had almost cleared my plate when-

"Oh my gods."

"I'm an idiot."

" _What?_ No, you're not."

"Piper offered to help with our dreams..." she trailed off. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of us to talk of little as we could about our nightly horrors. However, she steeled herself and ploughed on as I stared intently at her with a mouth full of food.

"We didn't even ask the Hypnos cabin. Or the Morpheus cabin for that matter! They would have been much more affective."

I contemplated this and downed the last of my food while looking at the two cabin tables respectively. My forehead creased. "Annie, the Hypnos cabin, maybe, only maybe, but Morpheus? There's three kids there and two of them look eleven and the other eight. I'm not asking them to take away our dreams because they're gonna have to go somewhere, right? I don't want them to run the risk of seeing that, it would damage them too much."

I turned back to her to find her looking at me with a soft smile on her face.

"What?" I asked quizzically.

"Never change, okay?"

"Never again, Wise Girl."

"Never again, Seaweed Brain."

'Never again' was our 'Forever and always'. Our 'okay'.

We stacked up our plates and headed off the decking. Annabeth slipped her hand into mine.

 **Annabeth's POV**

We walked hand in hand, strolling slowly through the freshly built camp. As official architect of Olympus, my duties where extended to camp, allowing me to do as I wished.

All the cabin members had free reign for what their cabin looked like, as long as they were built within the usual U shape. There was also a second U shape behind it for all the new cabins. The arena was bigger and more durable, with sections designed to withstand each cabin's respective power or talent. The dummies were unlimited, and the Hephaestus cabin had helped create a simulation of monsters (inspired by 'crazy mode' as Leo and Jason had said). An archery range sat next to climbing wall now had a sister, with harder levels that were constantly changing, giving the older campers more of a challenge.

We walked past the Hecate and Hephaestus cabins to the second U where the Hypnos cabin sat. We walked through the door, because no one would answer anyways, and observed.

The residents were all asleep. As per usual.

Now I know I said that all the campers had free reign over their cabins, but I had a few requests. Or orders would probably be more appropriate.

One such request was that the Hypnos and Morpheus cabins have a bell. This was an enchanted bell that once rung would render the hearers awake for however long the ringer wanted, blessed by Hypnos and Morpheus themselves.

It was a godsend.

I rung the bell and the effect was instantaneous. The sleepers shot up with such gusto they were shaking, their eyes unbelievably wide.

Percy snickered next to me.

"Whose that?"

"Annabeth and Percy, Clovis."

Their eyes widened even more so. One of the younger cabin mates rolled out of her bed and groaned, he hair splayed madly.

"What brings you two here?" he said, rubbing his eyes. I glanced the girl once before turning back to Clovis.

"Uh, well, we were, uh, wondering..."

"Could you do something about our dreams?" Percy finished for me, his face strained slightly. I looked at him properly, seeing the gauntness of his face, the paleness beneath his tanned skin. I suspected I looked the same.

It's like we never left.

My head swung back to the cabin mates again and I saw two of the younger kids staring at us intently. I think the girls name was Marzena, but she preferred Mazzi. She was the best knife fighter in the whole Cabin.

"Clovis interrupted my ADHD before it took hold, seeing it overtake my face, and said "Well that depends. It could either be pure PTSD or a remainder of... there. No-ones ever been there so we have no idea what would happen to those who get out."

"That... actually makes sense."

"Really?"

I turned to Percy, seeing his confused expression. "Yeah." He looked at me.

"The place is ruled by a primordial and is the front doorstep of another. No-one was supposed to leave, even if they got in. Maybe the dreams are what's left of there, in us. The only way they could 'trap' someone without them being there. Does that make sense? It's kinda hard to word."

He nodded, his face masked, "Is there a way to remove it?"

Clovis scratched his head and looked at his older sister. She shrugged.

"Well, we would have to go inside your head to see."

I stared at him.

"We would have to put you to sleep and then drag you to here in order to see what it was. Even then we won't know how to fix it though."

I shared a look with Percy. He nodded and I turned back to Clovis.

"Well, diagnosis is the first step to recovery, right?"

.o.O.0.O.o.

I slashed at Percy's side as he spun, bringing his sword round in turn and aiming for my upper half as he briefly left the ground. I swiped my knife up in an arc, just cutting his shirt sleeve as he flew over my head. This left me open to attacks, and he gave me a cut in my left forearm, before twisting his arm and aiming for my right thigh. I deflected the strike, and tried to topple him by hooking my leg round his as he landed. He fell, but grabbed onto me, and dragged me down with him, twisting. I hit the ground hard as we rolled, hugging to him.

We stopped as he loomed over me, a hard expression on his face, my wrists held down fast above my head by his own, and kissed me on the nose. A laugh bubbled out of my lips and he grinned goofily at me. But my mirth faded as seriousness overcame me again.

"I wish we knew how to get rid of it."

His smile slipped as the words left my mouth. He paused, not saying anything, and I couldn't read his face.

"Well, I imagine getting rid of a mini Tartarus that won't leave and lives in our heads isn't going to be easy."

Why does having to be a demigod have to be so hard?

An arrow whizzed overhead causing our heads to snap up.

"Hey, lovebirds!"

Will's voice came floating over from the Apollo section, where the whole cabin was watching using the few targets and sitting on a ground made out of sponge.

I blushed furiously and tried to extricate myself from the 'Percy cage', but he stood fast and didn't move. Instead he turned his head and yelled back.

"Hey, Sunshine!"

Will deepened in colour and it was our turn to laugh.

"Too much PDA! There are kids here you know!" yelled Kayla, Will's younger sister.

"I don't care!"

Percy turned back to me and kissed me deeply. I squirmed at first, but then melted into it. My playful side came out and I rolled us over and cupped his face, straddling him and deepening the kiss. His hands gripped my waist as he leaned upwards. I broke off the kiss reluctantly after a minute or two, and grinned back at the cabin members. They were all acting up, clutching their hearts, pretend retching and clawing out their eyes.

I rolled my own and almost turned back to Percy, when they all dropped. It would have been comical and I would have passed it off as a joke if they hadn't done it with such synchronicity and lack of dramatics.

"What the-", said Percy, from underneath me.

I clambered I gracefully off him and ran to them, struggling with the bouncy ground. I fell to my knees at Will's side, the closest person. I shook him, and he waved around like a rag doll, his blonde hair flying in the wind as Percy came to a halt at my side. I laid him back down carefully and opened his eyes softly with my thumb as I felt Percy peer round at the others. I gasped.

They were solid green.

"Percy-"

"I'm on it."

He put his fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-piercing screech of a whistle. I clamped my hands over my ears as other campers turned and looked around, jumping off obstacles and pouring out of cabins.

"Someone get Chiron!"

Some of the campers ran off while the majority of the campers stared.

"How did you do that?"

He looked at me sheepishly. "I got Will to teach me after Manhattan."

I nodded, and then remembered my discovery. "Percy, their eyes!" I hissed.

"What?"

"They're green."

" _What?"_

I wracked my brain, thinking of a solution. Green, Greek fire, Demeter's favourite colour, Rachel's prophec-

"SOMEONE GET RACHEL! NOW!"

Percy yelled over the commotion, practically reading my mind, and half of the crowd left to get her. I stared at him.

"Well, she's got the green smoke thing doesn't she? When she's all prophetic and stuff."

I nodded vaguely when Chiron cantered up.

"My, what's happened here?"

"They just dropped. And their eyes are all solid green." I added as an afterthought.

"Ahh, yes. This has happened before."

"What? When?"

"Calm down, dear Annabeth. It wasn't kept in the history. This happened sometime in the 18th century actually..."

Rachel somehow managed to skid over to us on the sponge, but not before she dropped as well. She lay in the middle of the unconscious campers, unmoving as we all stared at them. Green smoke began to envelop her and I felt strong arms envelop me, picking me up and walking me backwards.

The smoke snaked it's way round the Apollo cabin members, masking them partly from view.

Then the creepiest thing happened.

They all sat up, save for Rachel, almost like our previous oracle, and opened their green eyes. Murmurs ran through the campers before they started to speak.

" _Albion receives demigods from legends of now,_

 _To aid the family descendants, proud,_

 _The fight of Fire will overcome the power,_

 _And the crystal soul shall crack,_

 _Malice of death with evil of the uncontrollable,_

 _Shall be banished by love so true,_

 _Yet be the end of that which remains,_

 _But only with the curse invincible obtained,_

 _Will the two minds withstand the strain,_

 _And peace will once again reign."_

They all slumped to the ground, passing out. I slipped out of Percy's arms and we both surged forward. I lifted Will's eyes again and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. They were blue.

Things just got a hella lot interesting.

 **AN: Hey readers! I want to thank you for choosing to read my story, I'm trying to do it differently, but it will follow the same line as some other stories because rn it's all I can think of. I will add some twists though, don't you worry! Please message me on what to name this story because I don't like the title I've given it, and I think you should have a choice.**


	2. Chapter 2

**We Have A Love No Other Could Cherish**

 **Percy POV**

We all gathered around the ping pong table, waiting for Chiron to show up who was in the infirmary treating head wounds of the Apollo campers. Even though they had fallen on the sponge-y ground, some had fallen on their weapons, and the result was not pretty.

Will, however had been one of the lucky ones and fallen on the ground and was now only sporting a major headache, which Rachel said was typical for post-prophetic-tendencies. He sat massaging his temples next to Nico who was leaning against his arched frame, fiddling with his skull ring.

Annabeth was leaning against my shoulder in similar fashion while talking with Piper about the prophecy. I wasn't paying much attention as it would all be repeated in about five minutes, and I was watching and exchange between Jason and Leo, who were sat behind Piper.

Leo had fashioned a small device that looked suspiciously like an Archimedes sphere, and was flying around Jason's head, zapping him with electricity. But what made it really funny was the fact that Jason was zapping it back, and frequently missed, much to the distain of the other counsellors.

I saw Katie duck as a stray lightning bolt came at her, and Travis receive a face full of electricity, just as he was about to kiss her. The effect was quite comical, as Travis seemed to vibrate on the spot with mild pain coursing through him, twitching with a pout on his face.

At least Connor seemed to think so as he howled on the floor with laughter, his legs knocking into Clovis's. Clovis, for once, was awake, and seemed to be getting even on a dozing Butch. He looked ready to murder Connor as he kept on nudging him with his theatrics, as he was trying to draw what looked like clouds and rainbows on his shaven head.

"Ahem."

All heads turned to the door, where Chiron stood, observing the room. Travis stopped vibrating and slumped to the floor gasping for breath while Katie snickered on the floor next to him, and Clovis dropped the marker pen he'd been using in Butch's head. Leo's sphere went floating to the ground with a whirr, and Will looked up from his headache.

"Now, we're here to discuss the prophecy that occurred today. Did anyone write it down?"

Katie raised her hand and produced a crunched-up piece of paper. It had some scrawled Ancient Greek on the back and I squinted at it from across the room.

 _Roses- water (50ml) 7 times a day, underworld fertiliser-_

I smirked at the irony. Great, foreboding prophecy on one side, garden instructions on the other. Seems just about right. She began to speak.

"' _Albion receives seven from legends of now,_

 _To aid the family descendants, proud,_

 _The fight of the fire,_

 _Will overcome the power,_

 _And the crystal soul shall crack_

 _Malice of death with evil of the uncontrollable,_

 _Shall banished by love so true,_

 _Yet be the end of that which remains,_

 _but only with the curse invincible obtained,_

 _Will the two minds withstand the strain,_

 _Shall peace once again reign_.'"

She looked up from the paper and looked at Chiron, a terse expression on her features.

"Ahhh, Albion. I have not heard that word for a while. It was the old, and I mean millennia old, word for a country in Europe."

Annabeth scrunched up her forehead next to me.

"Wasn't it the name for one of the countries in Great Britain?" she voiced her confusion to the room, and Chiron nodded sagely at her.

"Specifically, however..."

He trailed off, raising his eyebrows at her, intoning her to finish the statement.

"Scotland."

Huh.

"What does Scotland have to do with this?" asked Butch, still unawares if his predicament, and looking between Chiron and Annabeth, his arms crossed.

A few people sniggered at him but he didn't notice. He continued.

"The gods never lived there, and I don't recall any Greek monsters living there."

"That is right-"

"Fae, no! I'm going to say something!"

Our heads all swivelled to the swelling exchange between Lou Ellen and Fae Church.

They turned their heads to meet ours as the noticed the lack of discussion, and I saw a firm resolve fix itself on Lou Ellen's face, while the grip Fae had on her wrist deepened.

Lou Ellen turned back to Fae and looked hard at her, and we could all see her adamancy melt away.

"Lou Ellen? Is there something you want to say?"

"Uh, yeah." She replied vaguely, turning back from Fae. "I think I might know what's in Scotland."

Silence.

"Ooookay, then. Uh, see there's no straightforward way to say this, but, err, there are a certain Greek species that was hidden in Europe, specifically London."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with Scotland?"

I surprised myself by the lack of restraint of my words, as they came out slightly harsher than I thought. Lou Ellen looked at me and face became slightly frightened as she heard me, and I sent her an apologetic look. I must have gotten scarier.

Annabeth squeezed my leg comfortingly.

"Well, through the Salem Witch trials, my mother felt bad for all the women condemned, so she smuggled some women with no attachments out to Europe, where the superstition was much less."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"She then rewarded them as a sort of compensation with her blessing, somewhat altered."

"So, there are a bunch of blessed mortals running around with magic at their fingertips?" stated Jason ridiculously, his foot tapping nervously.

"Not quite." replied Fae, taking over. Lou Ellen nodded in agreement.

"As the years went on, the amount of magic was passed on, becoming somewhat more dilute. Nowadays, they can only channel magic to a certain degree, and only a rare amount of them can use it without assistance. The mist made them forget and easily susceptible to the thought that they had been around for eons rather than centuries. They call their assistance wands, and themselves witches and wizards."

Silence.

And then Leo snickered.

I sorta expected people to start asking questions a mile a minute, but no-one said a thing. I guess that's what Greek-gods-and-monsters-attacking-daily-is-normal does to you.

I felt Annabeth glare at Leo and he immediately stopped his ministrations.

"Well, if you didn't know that gods existed, and you had magic in your fingers, isn't that what you would call yourself, for lack of better wording?" He visibly retreated, but I saw a ghost of mirth in his eyes.

"So how is Scotland relevant to the 'magic community', then?" asked Holly Victor, co-head if the Nike cabin, interrupting. She said, 'magic community' with quotation marks.

"Well, they're very organised; they have their own separate governing system, separate laws, special hospitals, and schools. One of the most famous is located somewhere in Scotland, called Hogwarts."

This time, Leo made a sound of indignation, not making eye-contact with Annabeth.

"They recently underwent their own war, actually."

This garnered more interest.

"What?" asked Will, making his first contribution to the meeting. His headache seemed to have subsided some and he ceased running his temples, looking at Fae.

"Yeah there was this evil wizard who was driven mad by his need for power, and to master death. He split his soul and placed them in seven different objects, trying to make himself immortal. A prophecy was then made, predicting that a child born on the thirty-first of July would defeat him. He travelled to the house of the boy, killing the father. He entered the room containing the mother and child and, upon which the first sacrificed herself for the child. Then he turned on the boy and prepared to kill him with the 'killing curse', but it was reflected to him, as the mother's sacrifice protected the boy.

"Years later the boy grew up in a somewhat abusive family, and was accepted into Hogwarts, in which he had probably the most twisted and dangerous school years. At the end, however, he and two others got rid of all the separate pieces of his soul and killed the evil wizard. This all took place in Hogwarts, in which many died."

There was a sombre silence, as people acknowledged the turmoil that the witches and wizards went through.

"How do you know all this? And why didn't we know about it?"

Annabeth piped up next to me, her eyes locked on the forms of Lou Ellen and Fae.

They looked at each other before Lou Ellen spoke, "Well, as heads of the Hecate and Circe cabins, it was kind of our duty to know, as well as the fact that some of our brothers and sisters attend there. It is the only other place a demigod can live, as there are barely any prophecies, but there is no protection from monsters. And as for the fact of you not knowing, what would you think Zeus would do if he found out that about a tenth of the mortal population were magical, and he didn't know about it?"

There was no scorn in her words, merely information as she seemed to bottle up her own views.

"Okay, okay. So, we now know what the significance of Scotland is...", Jason paused as a few counsellors chuckled, and he smiled a bit himself. "But who are the legends of now?"

"Well, Jason." answered Chiron, his tail swishing from side to side. "My guess is that it would be you"

"Jason?"

The confusion was clear in my voice as I questioned the pairing.

"No, Seaweed Brain. He means the seven."

That would make sense. As part of the prophecy of seven, a great prophecy nonetheless, being a major player in that would make you a legend in a century or so. I groaned at the implications. Another quest? This was getting ridiculous.

Chiron smiled sympathetically at me.

"Okay, so we've got the first and second line down- what about the third?" intoned Piper, who had remained relatively quiet.

"Well, last time fire meant Leo, so maybe Leo defeats a magic mortal?" Annabeth queried beside me, sitting up in her seat.

Leo shrugged. "What about 'crystal soul shall crack'"

"I... don't know anything about a 'crystal soul..." Annabeth trailed off. "What are the next lines?"

Katie grabbed he sheet from the ping pong table and read, "'Malice of death and evil uncontrollable, banished by love so true,'". She looked up and asked "Well, 'malice of death' could be the evil wizard? What was his name again?"

Fae looked up and said, "Voldemort."

Leo choked.

I suppressed a smirk, knowing that Annabeth would be far from pleased, but I still had to admit, these people were really bad at naming things.

I moved the conversation on. "Okay, then 'evil uncontrollable'? If we got a prophecy about it, wouldn't that make it Greek? Or further up the family tree, I mean."

"Most likely, though there are too many evil deities to count, so I won't bother with suggesting any. The next line?" Chiron dismissed.

"'Love so true,'"

Everybody turned to me.

 **Piper's POV**

In an instant, I felt a mixture of some average and extremely powerful auras turn on me, and I'm sure that I sank into the plush sofa even further. The people in the room blinked at me.

"Well, uh, love so true... yeah."

I didn't want to offend anyone, as I already knew the answer, but there were many couples in the room, including my own. I would have loved to say that our love was truest, but love takes time, and devotion, and while we did have that, it wasn't nearest enough in comparison.

"I do kinda regret to say it, because it puts you two in the centre, but the strongest love right now in camp seems to be Percy and Annabeth."

A small whimper escaped Annabeth, who was sat on my left, and she leaned into Percy again. Jason remained quiet by my side, but I didn't acknowledge any hidden feelings from him.

"Well, Annabeth. We truly have a love no other could cherish, right?" Percy looked down at her, smiling encouragingly, as if his words could hold up the two of them.

"It's not like we expected anything else, is it?" stated Clarisse, rather harshly, breaking the silence. A few murmurs went around in assent.

"'To be the end of which remains.'" Interrupted Chiron, breaking us out of conversation. "What do we have left over from the war? Any relics, sacred weapons..." he trailed off, leaving the question open.

Annabeth slowly shook her head, but turned to Percy. They shared a look before Percy said, "We discovered that a small piece of Tartarus lives in our heads today, actually. It's what gives us the nightmares every night."

"So, this evil is going to be defeated by you two and Leo, and they're still going to take away your nightmares?" asked Jason, slightly disbelieving.

"Seems so."

There was a pause.

"Wait, there are three more lines." Katie began to read once more form the crumpled paper, "'only through the curse invincible obtained, will their two minds withstand the strain, and peace once again will reign.'"

"The curse invincible must be referring to the Achilles Curse, right?" I questioned, swearing that I'd heard it around camp at some point.

"Yeah." came Percy's full response as he ground his shoe into the ground.

Silence fell on the room again, as the information sunk in.

Percy and Annabeth would have to undertake the curse of Achilles.

"Yay."

A weak cheer came from Annabeth as she tried to lighten the mood. A few people in the room chuckled, but I saw how tight the two were gripping each other's hand.

.o.O.0.O.o.

I lay on the roof with Jason by my side, gazing at the stars. I desperately wanted to be distracted, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. I tried focusing on each star, trying to recall its name, its history, the warmth of Jason's hand in mine. But it didn't work.

"Pipes?"

"Yeah?"

He gripped my hand tighter in his and I shuffled closer to him.

"I'm worried for Percy and Annabeth."

"Me too. Me too." I murmured, not sure what to say. I felt the exact same way, but there wasn't any answer.

"I could practically feel the emotion rolling of them in waves."

"Hmmm." he replied.

My eyes narrowed. "'I could practically feel the emotion rolling of them.'" I repeated.

"Yeah, Piper. I heard."

I remained quiet, thinking over my theory. It was weird, and didn't have an ending, but it was intriguing. "Have your powers been different lately?" I asked, turning my head towards Jason's.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, stronger, weaker, the same?"

His calculative blue eyes filled with worry and curiosity as he thought, and he finally replied with, "I don't know, Pipes. I haven't really been paying attention since the war."

"What couldn't you do before the war, then?"

"Well, I couldn't create storms like Percy's, and I had a limited amount of lightning bolts… I could only fly one person at a time, including myself…"

"Wait, stop there. Flying?"

"Yeah, If I wanted to fly someone else up I had to be holding onto them, I couldn't fly them up separately. Why?"

"Well, I wanted to see if you could do it now."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. Please? For me?"

He gave me a look but complied and stood up. He held out his hand for me and I took it, hauling myself up. He momentarily closed his eyes in concentration, before opening them and floating upwards a few inches. He looked at me and grinned. I smiled back and said, "Now try and make me float too."

His smile faded and doubt crossed his expression, but I reached up and caressed his jaw, as it was the closest thing I could reach, and smiled comfortingly at him.

"Do you trust me?"

An idea popped into my head as he started to speak.

"Yes but, Piper. What if I drop you, or…"

I imagined courage and confidence flowing from myself into him, through my hand, and his expression suddenly smoothed. "It's okay, Jason. I know you won't drop me." I said, making sure to keep the charmspeak out of my voice. I looked into his eyes and took a deep breath. His gaze lowered to my feet and he concentrated. I slowly felt a tugging force surround me from my ankles upwards, pulling me from the ground. It felt much different than what flying had felt like before, as his arms had always been wrapped securely around me. Now I was flying on my own, I decided that I preferred to be flying with him rather than alone.

I smiled encouragingly at him as my feet left the ground, becoming level with his own. The lines on his forehead slowly melted and he grinned excitedly at me. We slowly began to fly higher and higher, faster and faster as the wind whipped at my clothes. We began to move in separate paths, flying in circles and loops as we whooped and cheered. I became more confident in the thought that he wouldn't drop me, and simply let the winds take me where they pleased.

But after a few minutes, I felt his concentration slip as the tumultuous winds hugging me shifted slightly, becoming looser.

"Uh, Jason." I called, trying to get him to focus. He turned to me and saw my concern, before narrowing is eyes. I felt the winds move even further away from me again, before snapping back sharply and I gasped, the air leaving my lungs. Jason's eyes snapped open as he looked at me with panic in his eyes, and I felt the wind's hold on me vanish completely and I fell out of the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

**We Found A Really Bad GPA In The River**

 **Annabeth's POV**

I sat absorbing all I could about Achilles curse, while Percy took a shower in the newly installed bathroom, tuning out the sound of water hitting the floor as I read. To be honest, there wasn't much to be read on the Achilles curse, other than the mere fact that two people have undertaken it, and now soon to be three. But, I wanted to be as prepared as I could, and an my extreme panic channelled into 'excessive' reading, as Percy had so gently put it, was the best non-violent way to deal with it. My other option was to spar with my knife, hand-to-hand combat or judo, but only Percy and Thalia would spar with me, and when I had suggested it, Percy immediately backpedalled into the bathroom.

I sighed as I shut another heavy book, moving it to the side as I reached for the next, but only grasping at empty air. I glanced at the sheets next to me and saw emptiness, and when I turned to my other side, there were about fifteen books strewn around.

I fell back on the bed, my long, curly hair braided in a French plait falling over my shoulder and down to my waist. I stared emptily at the ceiling, not wanting to think about anything, and almost achieving it when I was interrupted.

The bathroom door opened and I lifted my head to see a dripping Percy poke his head round the door. He grinned sheepishly at me and a smile spread across my face despite my not knowing what was wrong.

"Yes?"

"Ummm, funny story…" his face reddened as he spoke. "I may or may not have forgotten to bring my towel in with me… and there aren't any in here…."

I smirked at him as a laugh escaped me and he reddened further. Now, the both of us are definitely not innocent, I'll give you that, and I wasn't bothered by his undress, it was just the fact that the trip from the bathroom to the bed was a far one, and cabin curfew hadn't arrived yet. The lack of walls in his cabin made it pretty hard to make it to the bed unseen. I sat up properly and leaned against the low headboard.

"And…?" I replied, smiling mischievously.

He rolled his eyes and I smirked again. He looked behind me, where the cabins all stood. His eyes returned to mine and determination filled them.

"So, you won't mind if I do… this?"

He casually opened the bathroom door and stood in the doorframe. My eyes widened in shock and I kept my eyes firmly on his. His piercing gaze was unwavering as he began to walk from the door to the bed and sat down, bringing the sheets firmly over himself and putting his arms around me. I heard no screams from outside so I concluded that no-one must have been outside.

I let out a breath of disbelief, and kissed him lightly when I heard a distant scream. My head snapped around I looked behind me at the rest of the cabins. When nothing caught my gaze, I looked upwards, and saw a speck falling from the sky. I squinted at the figure and noted a mass of brown, choppy hair and dark-ish skin. Piper.

I leapt up from the bed, Percy following behind me, and ran out the door. I looked at the ground underneath her and saw that she was about to have a very nice trip to the big house, and it was not going to be pleasant. I looked up at her again and saw that she was only a few hundred feet above the ground now, and another figure was shooting after her.

Superman? What are they doing up there?" Percy questioned next to me as I looked around frantically for some sort of material to catch them with, because even if Jason caught her, they wouldn't have enough time to pull up. But Percy was already on it.

I heard, rather than saw, a large portion of the sea rise and swirl its way over to the big house. I looked on in wonder as it curled itself over the big house and cupped itself, becoming a bowl of sorts. It thickened as more water was channelled into it, just as Piper fell head first into the bowl. I saw Percy's arms move apart as he picked up the portion that contained Piper and some sea-life and separated it.

Jason saw the water bowl and immediately began to pull up, but he was simply going too fast and promptly belly-flopped into the bowl.

I snorted.

The water cups slowly brought the two down to the ground, and once laying them gently on the floor, made its way back to the sea.

My amazement vanished and I strode up to the two of them as they coughed and spluttered on the grass-littered sand and hauled Piper up.

"What the hell were you two doing?! You could have died!" I scolded them, glancing at Jason who was still flat on his back, his hands massaging his stomach. I winced slightly in sympathy, but glared at them both.

"I was testing out a theory." offered Piper, wringing out her hair, completely unfazed by the fact that she had fallen Zeus-knows-how-many feet to the ground. Even Jason, who knew how to fly, seemed a bit fazed.

"A theory?" I stated, disbelievingly. "Piper, you better just have discovered how to reverse gravity on your own if you think that's okay. And from what I saw you did not. So, start talking." My hands found my hips and I stared expectantly at the both of them.

"Well, I think that something is going on with our powers."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in the meeting, I found that I could practically feel peoples power rolling off people, different for everyone, like a fingerprint or power signature as well as detect their emotions. Usually, I'm just intuitive, but this was different. It was like I could experience their emotions to a certain extent, without it affecting mine."

"Like… an empath?" I said, my anger melting away.

"Yeah, sort of." replied Piper, taking Jason's hand and heaving him up. "Not only that, I channelled emotions into someone as well." My eyes widened at this. "I've been noticing this for a while now, and I wanted to test it out. Hence the.. falling out of the sky."

"Hmmmm…" I contemplated this, seeing that she was right. "That's why so much of the Aphrodite Cabin now have charmspeak, the Apollo kids said the prophecy…" I trailed off and Piper nodded.

"That's why I got Jason to fly the both of us, separately, to see if he could do it. Obviously, he could and was it very hard?" she turned to Jason.

"No, not really. The only hard bit was splitting my mind in two; one controlling my flight and the other, yours." Jason admitted. However, it did not look like he wanted to do it again. Piper turned to Percy and continued.

"And was it hard to control that much water?"

He looked at her and said, "No, but I could do that beforehand. Remember Kym? I used the big water fists."

Piper raised an eyebrow and answered, "Yes, but you just controlled, like, half the coastline. Didn't notice that?"

He glanced at the sea, surprised, and scratched his head.

A silence fell over us.

"So, uh, did we interrupt something?"

I snapped back to the present as Jason spoke, a smirk on his face and gesturing to Percy. I fully turned to him to find him dressed in the bed sheet, one end draped over his shoulders while the majority trailed behind him in the sand, going in-between his legs, a small section covering himself.

He smiled innocently at me.

It left nothing to the imagination. I chuckled slightly, proud of the dignity I held, and turned back to find Jason chortling away and Piper blushing madly and looking decidedly at the ground.

"Well, tell Chiron tomorrow morning, okay?" I said, the mirth clear in my voice as I headed backwards to the cabin. I turned around and saw that his entire back was uncovered and definitely gave me an eyeful as he attempted to walk backwards without tripping and flashing the two. They both caught on and immediately turned around and started walking away, yelling their agreement over their shoulders.

My laughter carried on the wind as I was chased by Percy back into the cabin.

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Jason's POV**

"Chiron!"

My voice floated through the big house as Piper and I entered. He was stood replacing a book in the bookshelf and turned around to greet us.

"Piper, Jason. What can I do for you?"

I felt Pipers grip on my hand tighten as she began, "I have a, uh, revelation that I'd like to share with you. It's about our powers and I was wondering if you could share some light on it?"

I saw his face momentarily change to one of surprise and curiosity. "Of course, Piper. Have a seat."

We sat, sinking into the tattered leather sofa. I eyed the leopards head in the wall as it sneered at me.

"Well, you see, I think our powers are getting stronger." stated Piper, totally easing into the subject.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I've found that the extent of my own powers are growing, and I can transfer emotions, alter them, as well as sense them and people's auras more accurately. Jason can now fly two people at once-"she quickly glanced at me. "Albeit, not fully, and I imagine that he has more control over lightning. And just last night, Percy displayed a huge amount of control over water, and he didn't even seem to notice it."

"Hmmm." Chiron glanced down at the carpet, and gently used his hoof to flatten it onto the ground.

"Have you tested it out on anyone else?"

Piper shook her head.

"Hmmm, okay. I believe I do have a theory about this, a few actually, and I'm sure that they're all contributing to this effect."

We both leaned forward.

"Well, after the war, the gods merged their personalities. This may have lead their Roman sides to influence the Greek. As the Romans have a hierarchy of power, I believe this has had an unusual impact on the counsellors here."

"You mean, the counsellors are getting more powerful?"

He nodded.

Piper had a confused expression on her face and asked, " But those in power in Camp Jupiter don't have more power. I mean, for example, Reyna is powerful and all, but the Romans are known more for their fighting than their powers, and I only know of a few Romans with powers.. like Frank, Hazel, and of course Jason."

My head swivelled back to Chiron to see his response.

"Yes, that is true, but I believe that it affects the Greek sides powers, and the Greek will no doubt have an effect on the Romans."

"So why are Jason's powers increasing? He's Roman."

I flinched. Chiron noticed and spoke.

"I believe, Miss McLean, that it is because of Jason's choice of path. He has chosen to remain here, has he not?"

Piper turned to look at me.

"Yeah, I guess that Chiron is right. I still have to build shrines in both camps, but I found while we were on the Argo II that I didn't quite know if I was wholly Roman anymore. And then when I chose to stay here, with you, my, uh, my tattoo changed."

"What?"

"You know how Percy's SPQR tattoo is a trident?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, Well, we all assumed that it was the right insignia for him because there had never been a demigod of Neptune before. Or within living memory, rather. I was digging around as we were refurbishing the Neptune temple, and we found that his 'sign' was one of water crashing into a cliff. I guess it was to represent his earth powers, as he's more known to be the Earth Shaker in Roman mythology." I said this while rolling up my shirt sleeve and displaying the new lightning bolt that replaced the eagle on my arm.

"So, Percy's 'Roman' tattoo is actually Greek?" asked Piper.

I nodded.

"Well, if that be true, then you and Percy are both Roman and Greek Demigods. As well as Frank, possibly, due to his distant relation to Poseidon." Added Chiron.

"As well as this, the gods now visit their children here more often, and I've always had a theory about how much power one demigod has. I think, this is just a theory, that the more enamoured or in love a god or goddess is, the more powerful the child is."

We nodded as he explained- it made a lot of sense: Hades loved Nico's mother, and Nico was powerful enough to be using his powers on an hourly basis. And don't even get me started on Percy. Poseidon seemed ready to renounce his godhood to be with Sally, from what I had heard.

Chiron continued, "Quests also have a huge impact on power as well. Practice makes perfect after all."

"Thank you, Chiron."

"You're welcome." He smiled contentedly at the two of us, before saying, "Now if you don't mind I will get back to my book."

"Of course." said Piper with a smile. We got up to leave, my head still swimming with facts before a question pooped into my head. I turned back around.

"Chiron?"

"Yes, Jason?"

"Did you say that the Roman personalities and traits were being rubbed off on the Greek, and vice versa?"

"Yes...?"

"Well, wouldn't that have an effect on Lady Styx?"

His eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, I am currently trying to catch up with my Roman history, but if I'm not mistaken, the Styx more prominently stood for oaths and..."

"If it's what I remember…" I trailed off.

He trailed of, his gaze becoming distant.

"And what?" prompted Piper.

"Tell me, have Percy and Annabeth already gone?"

I blinked a few times.

"Umm, I think so, I saw Nico walk into Cabin three a while ago. They could have shadow travelled from there?"

"Mmm, I saw Nico with Will in the infirmary before we walked in. Maybe he came back? They might have wanted to do it on their own." Piper challenged my theory, which caused turmoil to cover Chiron's face.

He began to mutter under his breath as he ran his fingers over the bookcase. He eventually picked out a book and began to flick through the pages till he got quite a ways into the book.

"What is it, Chiron?"

He started to mutter even more, his eyes scanning the page. His murmurs cut of sharply as he read over a certain line, and he seemed to reread it.

He looked up briefly before returning to the book and began to read, "' _Lady Styx became the goddess of oath's after the first Titan war in both pantheons, but differed in other aspects. Her Greek history was tied with being the giver of invulnerability, guardian of the underworld and binder of oaths, while the Roman stated that she was the incarnation of increasing power, as well as the other three in the Greek pantheon.'"_

He looks up from the old book, worry clear in his eyes.

I voiced our concerns.

"Those two are already crazy powerful... if something else happens when they bathe in the Styx, who knows who will come back?"

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Annabeth's POV**

I gazed at the river, confusedly taking in the burnt diploma float by as I tried to read the GPA.

 **(I'm British so I don't know about this stuff, so I'm kinda guessing at what I think is true. If anyone can help me out that would be greatly appreciated! ;))**

I glimpsed a 2.5 and winced. I could relate. I turned my gaze back to Percy, who was also gazing intently at the river, seemingly lost in thought. I slipped my hand into his and I saw a ghost of a smile return to his face.

"It's just the same. I'm pretty sure I saw a diploma in there last time as well." He cocked his head at the paper washing to and fro on the tide. "They did better last time though."

I laughed.

But the sound died out as I remembered our task.

"You ready?"

He snorted. "God no. It's was so painful last time... I.. I-I don't want you to go through that."

He didn't move to hug me or look at me, but he simply squeezed my hand and I was grateful. I didn't want him to see the fear in my eyes, because I knew that he would scoop me up and demand that Hades shadow travel us back. He knew we needed this.

I was leaving this place with Curse of Achilles, or not at all.

I looked up and took in the scenery. It was, strangely, hauntingly beautiful. Perhaps that's where the phrase 'beauty within death' came from. Hades castle sat upon a jagged steep hill, looking powerful and well lit. the Fields of Asphodel stood in-between us and the castle, and I could see souls strolling aimlessly among the sparse trees. The Fields of punishment lay far behind us, and we could only faintly hear the occasional scream. We had definitely heard more than enough to last a lifetime. The sand beneath my feet was black, making it hard to distinguish the water from the ground.

"We can do this. You've done it before, on your own, so there's no way we won't survive this." I saw my own resolve slowly imprint itself in his eyes as he finally met my own.

"Never again, remember Seaweed Brain?"

"Never again, Wise Girl." He quietly agreed.

"Now," his voice rose in volume, and the vulnerable person that I saw seconds before vanished. I smiled.

"If my calculations are correct, Achilles should arrive in three, two, one." He counted down the numbers on his fingers.

"Demigods."

We both turned around, and were greeted with a ghost. He was tall and muscled, dressed in armour and a white tunic and held a plumed helmet under his arm. I did not, however, miss the long arrow coated in blood protruding out of his lower calf.

"Achilles."

He nodded.

"You have returned. I have warned you before."

His statement was obviously directed at Percy, and he replied, "You did, I remember them."

Achilles brow furrowed and he asked, "Why do you come to these shores again? You already bare the curse." He spat the last bit out bitterly, and you could clearly see the regret in his eyes.

"Ah, yes, well you see, I lost it walking through the Little Tiber."

Achilles forehead smoothed, but the disapproving look remained. I squirmed when it turned towards me, but I quickly recovered.

"And who are you?"

"Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena." I stated confidently.

"You wish to bathe in the River Styx."

I nodded.

"Do not do this. It will increase your fighting skill and prowess, but it will heighten your weaknesses and failures. And that's not all of it." He gazed sadly at his foot.

"My downfall was my arrogance, and I don't wish that upon you."

His pain-filled words struck home and the worries that I had buried started to come through. My fatal flaw was hubris, and even though I had gotten it under check lately, the curse would only make it harder. Percy must have read my mind, because he turned towards me and said, "Don't worry Annabeth. I know your worried about hubris, but your pride drives you. It's part of who you are, and while sometimes it's not the best thing in the world, it's a part of you that makes you who you are today. Without your pride, would you be designing these amazing buildings in Olympus?"

I contemplated his words. Without my pride, I wouldn't be making all the intricate decisions about every minute detail, would I? I wanted this to last a thousand years, and to still be proud of it then. I had been chosen to be the architect of Olympus because my pride ensured that I would do a good job. My fears sank and I stood confidently again.

"We must." I insisted. "It has been issued in a prophecy that if we don't do this, many will fall." That wasn't what was said, but I imagine the consequences won't be far off.

He nodded.

"Let the gods witness I tried. Heroes, you must concentrate on your mortal point- the point that will remain vulnerable. Lose sight of your mortal point, and the Styx will burn you to ashes. You will simply be another misery in its depths."

And with that he disappeared.

"Still all doom and gloom then."

"Apparently so." I murmured.

Percy remained quiet beside me as I thought of my mortal point. Luke's was in his armpit, and while I cherish his memory, it was not the most dignified of places. My thoughts drifted to the Battle of Manhattan, my thoughts scanned over a specific injury.

"Alright. Let's do this."

Apprehension crossed Percy's face briefly, before determination settled in. He gripped my hand tighter, and I was sure that he was cutting off my circulation, but I didn't care because I was doing the same to him.

"You have to go in quickly otherwise you'll crumple in the spot, and it won't work. I practically rolled in. And remember, your mortal point. And to hold your breath. I forgot that last time." He mumbled.

I kissed him on the lips, conveying as much passion as I could before pulling away. His eyes were still closed, his forehead leaning on mine.

"Together." he said.

"Together."

We pulled away and turned back to the river.

And surged in.

 **AN: Hey everyone! Thank you for reading again, this is my longest chapter so far. I wanted to say something: in this story nothing sexual will happen, but I believe that the gang have grown up. They aren't going to be prude and wait till they're married bc they don't usually get to be married. I just wanted to point that out, and if someone could get back to me about the GPA thing that would be great!**

 **As well as that, I was wondering if I should have demigods already in Hogwarts. Please write if you do in the reviews, and write who and what their godly relation is. Thank you!**

 **BYE ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**VICTORIA SECRET GETS A VISIT**

 **Leo's POV**

 **My hammer repeatedly hit the nail into the wooden board as I struggled to keep myself upright.**

Or upside down would be more appropriate.

A thick rope was currently squeezing my guts into my throat as I wrestled with the extremely stubborn nail. I had been keeping this a secret.

No one knew of this, or both things really. But I said it was for a noble cause because it had started wars apparently, so I plundered on.

"Is it in yet?"

A gruff voice came from above me, or underneath me, I can't remember.

"Almost. It-doesn't-quite-want-to-fit!" I punctuated every word with a loud _'thunk'_ as my hammer finally hit the wood.

My tired arms flew past my head as I hung limply, slowly being lowered to the ground. I crumpled gradually to the ground with a sigh, as the blood slowly retreated to my numb feet. I opened my eyes to be greeted with a rather admittedly ugly face.

It spoke.

"You good?"

I lifted my hand in an affirmative gesture and flopped back to the ground.

See, the first part of the secret was that my Dad had been visiting quite often, to Bunker 9. Now it wasn't strange that he had been paying visits to his child as lists of the gods now did this, but it became a secret nonetheless. He had been helping with my second secret.

Secret no. two was much bigger than the first, believe it or not. Specifically, three hundred and eighty-nine point five feet bigger actually.

I was rebuilding the Argo II.

Or remodelling.

We were building it with a vast number of upgrades. Festus could now detach himself from the hull, as I couldn't bear to remove his head from his body, the oars on the second floor were powered by pure blacksmith magic and only appeared when needed, taking up no space whatsoever. This meant that there was more space for the mess hall, which now contained a fully-fledged games section.

The absolute bottom was now split in between my engine room/bedroom and a training area, equipped with weapons, dummies and mattresses. The cabins were on the third floor, with new rooming arrangements made (Percy was furthest from the toilets and boiler room). The first floor was the home of the infirmary, showers, toilets and the dining hall.

The deck was no longer magical, save for Festus and the Wii Remote control which still controlled the entire ship. The mast was fully manual now, allowing Percy complete control of the ship in case of emergencies, and Jason's viewpoint on the main mast was higher. If they weren't here, then it would be manually set up and climbed to.

Hephaestus had been helping me with the engine specifically, and had been giving me tips on how to get it all efficient and top-notch, passing on secret ingredients to get the entire ship practically self-sustainable, and obtaining extremely rare materials from his personal forge.

"I think this is really starting to take shape, you know." I stated, sitting up and admiring the view from my place on the floor.

My Dad stood proud a few feet behind me with his hands on his hips and looking intently at the war vessel.

"She is a beauty, isn't she?" his voice echoed roughly through the bunker.

Our silence continued on for a while we slowly took in our handiwork. It had taken us almost 2 months to complete it.

I had just sensed a strong urge to rebuild her, in the memory of the Argo II; it felt like my duty almost. I guess my hunch was right, as we would probably be using it for our new quest.

But then that's where it all went wrong.

Laughter floated through the stone entrance, followed by footsteps. My siblings knew of what I was doing, but they knew to announce their presence in Morse before entering.

These people, however, did not.

We locked eyes for a second before leaping into action.

I gathered all the thick rope that had collected on the floor, waddling to the small office to the right and dumping it on the floor. Hephaestus picked up the larger-than-life-size tool kit and vanished it all before turning towards the ship and clicking his fingers. I saw the mist tangibly and slowly settle itself over the ship, altering it to what the Bunker had previously looked like, before dissipating. Festus sat expectantly in the middle of the 'smaller' Bunker, wagging his tail.

My Dad gave me a wink before glowing. I turned away just in time for him to flash away, and for the newcomers to walk around the corner.

"What the Hades was that?"

Pipers voice rang loudly through the cave, and I turned towards her.

She and Jason were stood in the entrance with dubious expressions, as if they were contemplating whether or not they should have come.

"Oh, yeahhh... I was, uh, testing..." I glanced back to see Festus still wagging his tail. He squeaked out,

" _ki-ra_."

Kira? Kyra?

Ohhhh, _fire_.

"I was testing Festus's fire abilities. They got a bit roasted in Ogygia."

Despite the circumstances I cracked a joke, clicking my tongue and pointing my fingers at them with a wide grin, but was ultimately disappointed when the two seemed largely disinterested.

"Yeah, ummm... Leo... we were wondering... if you, uh wanted to come to, uh, Camp Ju-Jupiter with us...?"

I stared at them, as they seemed largely interested in my back wall, which I knew just contained jagged rock and a 4 year old finger painting.

"Leo?"

"Yes, Piper?"

"Why is there a, uh, mah- is that a mast?"

"Why is there a mast hovering in the middle of the room?"

The two spoke over each other in their bewildered states.

I turned to where their extremely confused gaze was directed, and much to my chagrin, a 7-foot-wide mast sat floating in the middle of the room.

"Shit."

They turned to me with expectant faces.

"Why, Dad? Why?!"

The furnace let out an extremely hot gale that swept through the bunker and left glistening sweat on Jason and Pipers foreheads.

"Jeez, I'm sorry."

" _Leo_."

Pipers both voice cut through and prompted me to explain.

"See, this is the Argo III!" I exclaimed loudly, sweeping my arms open wide.

Their heads swivelled to the mast. And back.

"Give it a second."

They swivelled back.

And then the mist began to fade away, revealing the inside first before cladding the sides with wood.

They jaws were agape.

"Did-did you build this?" Piper asked incredulously.

"Well, Hephaestus helped a lot with getting the materials and upgrading it, but yeah."

"This is amazing, dude." stated Jason, his eyes wide.

I held a hand to my heart, "I only thought you called Percy 'Dude'?! I'm touched."

"No, I'm not kidding, Leo. This is huge!"

I turned and admired it.

"Do you think it's too big?"

"What? It looks amazing, Leo."

I smiled at Piper. "Thanks, Pipes."

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Percy's POV**

It was excruciating.

Even more so than last time.

I gripped Annabeth's hand tightly as we fell into the acid-like liquid. Tartarus flashed past my eyes, followed by Smelly Gabe. I had to say 'hi' to him in the Fields of Punishment.

My skin felt like it was melting, and I had to fight with every ounce of will power to not scream. I writhed as I desperately tried to remember my mortal point. I had changed it from last time because it would be far too obvious.

I jerked, seeing Annabeth again, and then my mother, Grover and Thalia. I slowly rose, and pulled Annabeth with me. My features felt like they had melted and rearranged as the current ripped at my skin, and I launched from the river.

I landed with a heap on the shore and Annabeth landed with a heap on top of me. We coughed and spluttered and shook, trying to escape the burning feeling. Just the after-affects felt like drinking the Phlegethon, but a hundred times worse.

Slowly the pain faded and we just lay there. The river washed up against my legs, but just felt cool against my calf. We must be impervious to its effects now.

Annabeth stopped shaking and started to move on top of me, and I rolled my head to see her face as she flopped onto the sand beside me.

I gasped.

 **Annabeth's POV**

I felt like a thousand bolts of electricity had forced its way into me, and a vat of hydrochloric acid had been poured over my head.

Not nice.

My grip on Percy's hand tightened as I jerked and struggled against the current. I felt myself sink, before I remembered my mortal point. My haziness subsided a bit and my head cleared slightly from the pain. Percy jerked next to me, his hand shaking in mine, and I felt him start to rise, pulling me with him. The river seemed to tug at my face as he lifted me, tearing at my skin. I broke the surface of the water and landed squarely in his chest, heaving lungful's of air, shaking profusely while my pain-receptors caught up.

The pain gradually faded and I rolled off Percy and lay in the sand. I opened my eyes to find him already looking at me, and I sucked in a breath of shock.

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Hazels POV**

I stepped through the new portal that connected the two camps, and felt decidedly jelly-like when I stepped out the other side. I turned and waited for Frank, Leo and Piper to emerge from the purple and gold marble-like wall. Leo, Jason and Piper had come through the portal earlier and explained the new prophecy to the senate, and it had been agreed upon that we would set out from camp half blood, as it was closer, and we would be shadow traveling.

Finally, Jason brought up the rear, and didn't look the slightest bit wobbly, which I envied to no end. Curse motion-sickness.

"Where's Chiron? You said we had to meet him." asked Frank, as he walked beside me.

"I think he's in the big house, but if he isn't there he told us to wait by the lake. I think he's got some stuff that we'll need for the quest." replied Jason, jogging slightly to fall into step with us.

I could hear Piper arguing with Leo about something behind us, and I turned to glance at them, only to find a mini-Buford nestled on her head, as she stared angrily up at her forehead. Leo was trying to hold back a smirk as he watched, wincing in pain as Piper gripped is wrist tightly. I stared for a few more seconds before turning back and holding Franks hand.

"I'm so glad you're normal." I mumbled.

He looked at me in confusion and asked, "What?"

"Never mind."

We sat, lounging on the edge of the lake, chatting. The big house was situated about twenty feet behind us, so we couldn't miss Chiron. Will Solace had informed us he was helping a new camper with their first climbing wall injury.

"Wait, if this is for our quest, why aren't Annabeth and Percy here?"

The Greek trio went silent and exchanged nervous glances before turning back.

Piper spoke, an apprehensive look on her face.

"Well, the end of the prophecy spoke of the "invincible curse" and we think that it was meant for those two." She paused while this sunk in.

"They're there right now, and Nico is gonna go back in..." she checked Jason's watch. "Fifteen minutes."

I felt so worried for the two. They had been through so much and they least deserved to undergo that.

The lake began to bubble next to me, and I nervously began to shuffle away. We all stared at the lake as I thought of what I had done to offend Neptune. The bubbling increased, and a small whirlpool emerged in the centre.

And then two figures seemingly stood up from the foam. They stumbled slightly, before I heard a beautiful voice say, "Did we get here this time? Long Island, not Texas?"

The two straightened up, and we gasped.

Percy and Annabeth.

.o.O.0.O.o.

They were beautiful. Annabeth had been overly pretty beforehand, just as Piper was, looking like a stereotypical California girl, but now she was gorgeous. And I mean _model_ worthy.

Her long blonde hair was no longer one colour, it now seemed to have a warm silvery sheen, and a grey streak ran through her hair. Her skin was smoothed, her contour lines sharper and her tan even, a light smattering of freckles I didn't even knew she had on her nose and inner cheeks. Her eyes were even more piercing, striking, the grey now had different shades, silvery almost, and were even brighter, as if a candle was lit behind it, and they were swirling. Honest to god, hand on heart swirling.

As well as that, Percy had never been lacking in the looks department, but he had somehow managed to get... _hotter_. Now, I wouldn't usually say this, but I had been slowly adapting to the less modest time and there was no other way to describe it. His toned and eight-pack stomach was clearly visible through his camp half-blood shirt, and his muscles were more defined; his swimmers lean figure prominent. His cheekbones were higher and his hair was ruffled in just the right way, the black deeper. He also had a grey streak in his hair. His skin was smoother as well, all bumps and imperfections gone, as if it was made from a sort of glass. He too had a small amount of freckles, only his were sparse and all over his face, rather than just his nose. His eyes were piercing, just as much as Annabeth's. They too, looked like whirlpools, and they were no longer sea green, but peaks of swirling green and royal blue moving in a spiral.

Once we got over our shock, Leo let out a low whistle.

"What happened to you two?! Visit Victoria Secret while you were gone?" he said in the girliest voice he could muster.

Percy smirked and Annabeth rolled her eyes, and I felt amazed at how their faces seemed to remain perfect when they moved. I felt like I was in the presence of Aphrodite.

"We're not perfect, Hazel."

What?

"I-I didn't speak out loud... did I?"

My confusion was clear on my face as I voiced my uncertainty. The two looked between the other and Annabeth began to speak before Jason interrupted her.

"We think that something has happened to the Roman and Greek pantheons."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"We think that the Roman side has rubbed off on the Greek and vice versa. Romans respect power and a hierarchy, so it's rubbed off on the few demigods in power on the Greek side. The counsellors are getting stronger. As well as this more Romans are developing powers, which is a rarity among Roman demigods."

We all nodded as we listened.

"But demigods aren't the only ones being affected, with minor God's being changed. For example, Lady Styx," he glanced at Percy and Annabeth, "is the ' _giver of invulnerability, guardian of the underworld, and binder of oaths_.' However, in the Roman pantheon, she is all the above, as well as the incarnation of increasing power."

My mind casted back to when I had been reading about all the Roman gods when I first joined the legion, and had been terrified of Lady Styx. How she was a minor goddess with all those powerful titles, I could not comprehend.

"I seem to have grown, a, uh, telepathic... ability."

"And I... water travel? That's how we got here."

Jaws dropped.

Percy and Annabeth spoke up, and even their voice had changed. They were rich and smooth, Percy's powerful yet kind and Annabeth melodic yet dangerous. I sincerely felt that they could charmspeak.

I tore my gaze from the two, and surveyed the groups reaction. Piper was what really caught my eye. She looked a mixture of awe and fear.

 _Why is she scared_ , I thought to myself. Sure, the two looked different and now had cool powers, but they were still the same person.

"Piper?"

She trembled slightly.

" _Piper._ " I stated louder. She turned to look at me, and hastily tried to hide her reaction.

"You okay?"

"It's just…. Well, I've become an… empath, sort of. It's not just emotions, but auras and power. And, well… your power signatures have increased… tenfold. It's kinda unnerving." she finished with a small laugh.

All demigods had an aura, but the majority of us learn to reel it in because it attracts monsters to the camp borders. But if you focused hard enough, you could sense it. I concentrated on the two of them, and instead didn't sense what I usually did from the two of them. It felt like Iris, or Hecate, or Persephone stood in front of us.

They moved uncomfortably, still standing in the lake.

I got up and hugged the two.

I felt them visibly relax, and Percy said, "Thanks, Hazel."

"It's okay."

We broke apart and I dragged them over to the others and sat down again.

"Well, folks." said Leo, bringing his hands together and sitting up straighter. "Since this seems to be the time of spilling the beans, I have a juicy one I think you'll all like. The Argo III is here!"

And that was when we lost our sight.

 **AN: AND THAT'S ANOTHEER CHAPTER! FINALYY! SORRY FOR THE WAIT, I'M TRYING TO COME UP WITH NEW PLOT IDEAS, SO THIS ISNT YOUR STEREOTYICAL PJO/HP STORY, BUT STILL HAS ALL YOUR FAVOUTITE THINGS. THANKS FOR READING, AND REMEMBER!  
**

**PLEASE WRITE WHO YOU THINK SHOULD ALREADY BE A DEMIGOD AT HOGWARTS, AND WHO THEIR GODLY PARENT IS. THANK YO** **UUU!**

 **BYE ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

Frank's POV

Frank was briefly blinded by a yellowish light, that filled his vision and seemed to push the shoreline back a few inches. He blinked, trying clear his sight as two forms stood behind the group.

Frank's vision cleared, and he gaped slightly at the new people.

"Mum." said Annabeth to his right, her new voice still foreign to his ears. _What_? He thought. The lady addressed seemed to ignore her and narrowed her eyes at Percy.

"Sea-spawn." She said, the distain dripping from her voice.

"Athena." He responded, his rich voice filling the space, void of emotion.

"I see you and my daughter have undertaken the curse of Achilles."

They both nodded. Her face became pinched.

"Anyway!" said Leo, interrupting the staring match. "I believe m'ladies have something for our quest?"

Athena tore her disapproving look from the two, to Leo, who kept his face blissfully ignorant as her lip curled in distain.

"Yes, young demigod." said Hecate, taking over, noticing her fellow goddess' distraction. "While it is all good that you are helping my realm, you need to be able to channel your magic into a wand. All of you posses the ability to conduct magic, but it is too raw to be put into such a fragile thing."

Athena recovered, and began to address us, "As well as that, none of you have the knowledge required to be witches and wizards, so I will gift you all with the necessary information, while Hecate will expand your magical ability."

So much power. Frank was sure that they would all combust.

"I shall go first." said Hecate.

She took a step forward and motioned for Jason to get up. He scrambled to his feet, before she gestured for him to kneel. He obediently lowered himself to the ground, and kept his head low as Hecate placed a hand on his head. Her hand began to glow, and then diminish as Jason began glow, as if something was being transferred.

She finished, and removed her hand form his head. Jason looked up and stared wide eyed at the rest of us.

"Jace? Bro, you okay?" said Percy, concern clear in his voice.

"Yeah, I just feel really hyper. Hopefully it'll go soon." replied Jason, who retreated back to his place beside Piper. She rested a hand on his thigh, calming the twitching.

"Piper."

And so they went on, till everyone had been blessed. Leo had been the hardest as he had literally shaken after his turn, and his eye had twitched for a solid ten minutes after he sat back down.

Then it was Athena's turn to infuse us with knowledge. "I will be giving you more information than the usual as this prophecy fore-warns a battle, and you will need all the help you can get. Please don't flaunt this, as it will raise suspicion."

Frank nodded along with everyone else.

Athena intoned for him to come forward. Frank's eyes widened and he hurried forward quickly. He knelt again and bowed his head as Athena lowered her hand. He felt her hand slowly heat up and then a flurry of images and information flew into his head. He saw bright green light, and white animals surge past his eyes, spiders scuttling in huge masses and what looked like grim reapers soar through the sky. And then it all settled, and the images vanished, leaving Frank to sag against his heels.

"That was... a lot." panted Frank, his back clearly heaving as he drew in big gulps of air.

He practically crawled back to his space, and Athena was about to move on before Frank asked,

"Lady Min-Athena?"

She turned to him, her face void of opinion which Frank took delightedly, before he continued.

"Who was the tall pale man? With the dark robes and a snake nose? I didn't quite catch his name..."

"That would be your foe, Frank Zhang. Voldemort."

Frank didn't know what to make of that, but he felt sincerely sorry for any mortal who were blessed with looks like that.

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Percy POV**

The afternoon was then filled with camp half blood activities, and since I didn't have any siblings to boss around and lead in death defying exercises, I tagged along with Annabeth.

We stood in the central cabin area, where the arena extended into the grass, and Leo had designed an area of unlimited dummies enchanted to walk. And practically never die.

The cabin as a whole and I were practically now friends, I thought while fighting alongside them and choosing to dismiss an arrow flying past my face. Not because I was their counsellors boyfriend, but mainly because I killed the spiders.

I had been procured a knife, with which I had reluctantly agreed to fight with, and I now used to cut through the remaining five stitches attaching a mummified head to its body. I then frowned when it continued to waddle in my direction.

I swiped with my legs, toppling the tougher-than-rocks dummy, and slashed straight through where a knee would be, and grimaced satisfactorily at the now immobile and scrambling dummy.

I caught sight of Annabeth, a few feet to my left at eleven o'clock, just to witness her drop her knife in favour of judo flipping a sibling onto a dummy, which neatly severed in half at the sudden weight of the bony child. Athena children were anything if not witty, strategic and sacrificing, as the child-hammer by the name of Maxwell was now tenderly rubbing the behind that had broken a back.

She turned towards me, a huge grin on her face and completely ignoring her injured charge, before lines painted her forehead and her beautifully silver, swirling eyes widened. I looked down, thinking that I had torn my t-shirt again, when I looked up in time to see her fling her arm out at me.

I was under the impression that I had to grab it, and mentally cursed at my slow reaction, before quickly revoking it when a celestial-bronze knife materialised where her knife-sheath should be strapped to her arm, and flew towards my eye.

I blinked.

And ducked.

And heard a satisfying _thunk_ as a knife hit its mark. I quickly twisted around and observed the dead center puncture in the dummy head, before turning with wide eyes back to Annabeth. She looked just as shocked as I did.

The rest of the cabin stilled, and I vaguely noticed the dummies drop to the ground, as I said, "D-did-did you just-"

"Yeah." came her breathless response. She stared at her hands in wonder, slowly twisting them over and back before Malcolm spoke up.

"Test it again! You need to know if you can do it again, and if it's the same." he said enthusiastically, ever the child of Athena, practically making it sound like a science experiment. Maxwell nodded vigorously from the ground.

She nodded and we all trekked over to the Archery range where the Aphrodite kids were practicing. I tried to congratulate Annabeth on her new 'power', but she simply blanked me, and I accepted that I would have to wait until she was sure that it wasn't a fluke. I had no-doubt that she could do it again, but whatever to please the lady.

"Hey! What're you doing? This is ours for the day! I don't care if you're smarter than us! It's your turn on the range tomorrow!" came an indignant yell from Drew.

"Oh, pack it in would you, Drew? No one cares."

You would have thought I used charmspeak with the way she abruptly stopped. I could see the majority of the Athena cabin narrow their eyes at Drew's obedience, just as Piper walked up from the farthest target.

I switched my gaze from Drew to Piper questioningly.

"Oh, don't mind Drew. She cursed Lacy's makeup, and as penance I allowed Lacy to practice her charmspeak on her.

"She has to adhere to whatever she is told or asked for the rest of the day." said Piper affectionately, pulling a proud looking Lacy into her side as the small girl beamed at us.

"You, my dear child of Aphrodite, are my new best friend" said Maxwell. She smiled shyly at him as he grinned. The charmer, apparently.

"Anyway!" I said, changing the topic. "We were wondering if we could borrow one of your targets? We won't be long, Annabeth has to try something."

She nodded, but a face of confusion painted her face. Drew harrumphed silently but remained quiet. We all walked to Pipers now vacant target, and Annabeth stood in position, ten meters from the board.

"She knows that she needs a bow and arrows to hit the target, right?" Piper murmured in my ear, though everyone heard. Annabeth didn't show it if she heard however, and simply stood there and blankly stared at the bullseye.

"Just watch." I replied. Despite the reassurance I layered in my still foreign voice, I began to doubt Annabeth's mental ability to throw her arm out, till she did just that.

She twisted slightly first, before spinning and throwing her fingertips in the direction of the board, and sure enough, a knife flew into the board, albeit a few inches from the bullseye.

Silence.

And then a grin broke out on her face. I rushed forward and scooped her up into my arms, spinning wildly round as she smiled.

"Oh my gods, this is amazing Annabeth! You have a power! A physical one!" She remained temporarily speechless as I continued to freak out on her behalf. I knew how much she had disliked the fact that she had no distinguishable talent other than an IQ to put Einstein to shame.

A laugh bubbled out of her as I placed her on the ground, and she launched her arms round my shoulders.

"I did it! Oh my gods, I actually did it"

"You did, Annie, you sure did." I said, a grin spread across my face.

We separated and everyone ceased their celebration, before Piper said, "Well, if you can conjure knives, what about Bows?"

She seemed to contemplate his for a second, before standing in-front if the target once again. She fumbled slightly on how to go about it, before deciding to take up a shooting stance. She slowly drew back her hand before a whispery, smile like form took place in her outstretched arms. As she continued to draw her hand back, the smoke seemed to clear itself, and become a Bow, complete with wispy arrow.

Annabeth aimed and released, the arrow becoming solid silver as it flew, shooting right into the ring above the bullseye. She lowered her arms, and winced.

"Not quite bullseye."

I rolled my eyes.

And that's when we heard the screaming.

People began to look around widely, but me and Annabeth looked firmly up. Just as we suspected, people were falling from the sky.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Apparently not." said Annabeth, wryly. "You close enough to reach the sea?"

Her demeanour was much calmer than the last time it rained people, but I could tell that Jason was probably gonna die this time.

I nodded, and raised my arms, willing the sea in my direction. I looked up and say there were about four of them. Jason must be getting stronger.

I felt a strong tug in my gut, and I actually noticed the amount of the western seaboard I had lifted, and my own eyes widened. The water twirled over to the center of the cabins and I winced at all the sea life yelling in my head. Annabeth hissed next to me.

"What?"

"I can hear the fish. Not very clearly, but it's a lot."

"Welcome to my world." I muttered, and braced myself to catch the people without letting them flatten like a pancake. I heard them shout some words, but they were lost in the fall, as they all fell promptly into the water.

I lowered them to the ground and directed the water back into the sea, as Annabeth marched up to the coughing and spluttering group.

"JASON FREAKING GRACE, WHAT THE ACTUAL HADES ARE YOU DOING?! THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS; JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN _FLY_ PEOPLE UP THERE, DOES _NOT_ MEAN YOU SHOULD..."

She trailed off and we all saw why as we hurried after her. The people on the floor were dressed in very dark, conservative clothing for Long Island in September, and looked mysteriously out of date. I wondered if they were stragglers of escaping the Underworld, like Hazel, but then Jason was nowhere to be seen, so how did they fall from the sky?

"That wa- was unexpec- ted." gasped a sopping wet, middle aged man, with ginger hair, much like the younger man next to him. A thick English accent came from his mouth.

"So I, uh, take it that falling five hundred feet from the sky was not on your itinerary?"

—

 **-Theres the next chapter! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I had a lot of writers block. I hope you all enjoyed it and thank you for adding it to your reading lists! Keep commenting, you have no idea how much it means.**

 **Please comment who you think just fell out of the sky?**

 **-** _ **AoifeDarkllove**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Lies, Werewolves and Magic**

Annabeth's POV

We helped the wobbly and shaken mortals to the big house, while they struggled to comprehend the climbing wall, the Demeter kids growing more ivy on the walls with their hands and the group of Pegasi riders that landed next to the stables. They stuttered and stared, leaving us to practically carry them, but they didn't pass out, and the border hadn't kept them outside, leaving us to wonder what they were.

There were five of them, three gingers, a long, curly dark-haired man, and a light brown-haired man. They sat down on the tattered sofas, looking decidedly more comfortable in the more normal office. They even seemed content with the dozing leopard in the wall.

The light brown-haired man pulled out a piece of salt crusted chocolate into his mouth, despite the fact that if was damp from the sea water they had fallen in.

Me along with the seven stood, murmuring quietly in the corner, and I suspected that the chocolate man could hear us clearly as, he did not move to observe the room as the others did, but simply sat, his ear in our line of sight.

"Who even are they? They shouldn't have been able to get in unless someone invited them, and I don't think Jason was waiting at the border, fifty feet in the sky!" exclaimed Percy, his rich voice rising in volume. The mortals turned, but their faces remained blank. My eyes narrowed. Something was off about them.

"Why isn't the mist working on them?" whispered Leo, his confusion evident as he tinkered with a paper clip from his tool belt.

I turned back to the group, my shoulder barely fitting in between Frank and Piper, the group huddled closely. "They obviously have godly blood or relations, because monsters and mortals can't get in, and even if they were, they'd be mighty uncomfortable without being invited."

The light brown-haired man shifted, his legs pressing together. My eyes narrowed further.

The sound of wheels made all of us turn to the door, which we were effectively blocking with our huddle. Chiron wheeled up, clad in shirt and blanket covering his legs; I believe the human approach was probably much better. Layla came with him, Will Solace's younger sister. As the daughter of Apollo, his children came with varied talents, such as Will's brilliant ability to heal. Layla was good with truths, or lies, whichever way you perceived it.

"Are they okay, Heroes?"

Murmurs of agreement and disagreement rumbled, but I stayed silent.

"Annabeth?"

"I think somethings up with the man nearest to us. The one in a suit, and light brown hair." I mumbled, making sure that even Piper couldn't hear. But Chiron would be able to with his animal hearing. He nodded his head before moving forward. We parted, allowing Chiron through, and followed him to the five seater sofa opposite the mortals. He wheeled up to the side, while Leo sat comfortably on the edge, and myself in he ground in between Percy's feet, next to Chiron. The rest squeezed comfortably into place.

"Might I ask your names?" said Chiron, kindly leaning forward.

The five of them glanced between themselves, before the tall, slightly overweight red-haired man spoke up.

"I am Arthur Weasley, this is my wife, and eldest son." He gestured to the side of him, where a small, plump, similarly haired woman sat. She oozed motherliness, complete with worn olive green sweater, flowery dress and glasses around her neck.

"Molly Weasley."

"Bill."

Chiron nodded, and turned to the other two. "And you two are?"

"Padfoot. Just Padfoot." said the dark haired man. His face was twisted with worry lines, but his eyes crinkled and his hands rubbed together. He looked the troublemaker. Percy legs twitched at my shoulders, and I could feel his unease. The name was clearly an alias - what mother would name their child Padfoot?

"Remus Lupin." said the chocolate man, lastly. His demeanour was quite the opposite of Padfoot's, calm and reserved with a kindly look on his face.

"Umm, can I ask, what is this place? We thought that we were coming to a Camp-Half... Blood?"

Bill spoke up, clearly the youngest of the lot, with ginger hair that reached his shoulders and calloused hands.

"I'm sorry, you must be very confused, I'm Mr Brunner, I lead this camp. It's very unfortunate how you arrived... may I inquire as to why?"

The question was simple enough, but made the mortals stiffen. It reminded me of times when we had to cover up our demogodishness on quests.

Piper obviously thought the same, and spoke up. "Clearly, you lot aren't mortal, so what's your deal?" The statement by itself was rude, but she laced it with a hint of charmspeak, easing the mortals. She had revealed that we weren't of the mortal world, but either her charmspeak covered the shocking news up, or the mortals new of us. Chiron sent her a reprimanding look, but she simply shrugged.

The dispute on whether or not to reveal themselves was lost, the husband and wife looking glum, as Remus spoke.

"We were directed here by a Ms Minerva McGonagall, she said that she was a distant relative. We come in peace, but we are here for a prophecy?" He finished the statement lightly, questioning it more than anything. Like he was undecided between taking it back or continuing.

"Now, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but we have reason to believe that you are involved, Mr Brunner."

And it all clicked. These were the witches and wizards.

Molly, looked nervous as she spoke, turning to Chiron directly as she said, "Can we talk somewhere private? These children don't need to be here, they're not involved."

"I think you'll find, Mrs Weasley, that they are more than entitled to be here." responded Chiron, politely declining her request. She looked affronted at his statement, almost as if it was a phrase she had heard far too often for her own liking.

"You're not mortals." The words flew out of my mouth, and they looked at me confusedly. Of course they wouldn't understand, I hadn't used the right words.

"Or muggles, I mean."

Padfoot sighed. "We were never going to get far with that anyway. The charade is up then. I suppose you lot are all American witches and wizards then?"

We said nothing.

"Of the sort. And you are?" said Frank, looking slightly more sinister than his usual, happy self.

Remus noticed that we avoided the question, but he must have decided to ignore it as he answered.

"Yes, we are."

Layla shifted on her side of the sofa, almost knocking Leo off.

"You're lying. Not quite, but it's not the whole truth." said Layla, brashly.

The groups eyes narrowed, and Padfoot moved slightly, in a more protective manner.

"What are you implying? I know you aren't muggles, but we haven't had anything to drink, and I certainly don't see a bottle of veritaserum in your hands."

I practically felt the seven go through their mental libraries as we gradually understood the term 'veritaserum'. It wasn't hard because it literally translated into _'truth liquid',_ roughly, in Latin. Layla, however did not know this, but continued on, dismissing the unknown reference.

"I just know that _you're_ not what you say you are. At least not fully, because you're not completely lying." responded Layla, directing her amendment at Remus.

"I'm sorry? You know we've just finished recovering from a war, right? Forgive us if we don't seem too trusting at the moment." said Bill, his voice laced with emotion. I suspected that he had lost someone in their war. Molly rested a hand on his knee, and turned back to us.

"So have we. Two months ago, in fact."

Hazel piped up for the first time, surprising the group. It was more powerful from her, as she was the youngest of us, and the most innocent looking.

The five looked shocked at the revelation.

"You have fought... a war?", questioned Padfoot, his eyes disbelieving.

She nodded.

"We travelled Europe for it, me and Annabeth here fell into hell for it, and got into so much trouble along the way, you would not believe that were sitting here." Percy added, his protectiveness coming out, as his smooth voice filled the room.

The group switched their attention to us two, realising the power we had. I realised that Percy wasn't restraining it anymore and I released my own power signature, helping him. They all shifted uncomfortably as the power sat heavily in the room. They needed to know that we weren't to be messed with. Slowly we reeled it in, and Chiron cleared his throat.

"I suppose some introduction is in order, but I think it would be good if you followed me to the next room. We have an orientation film that would probably explain a lot..."

.o.O.0.O.o.

The wizards and witch were filled in with our demigodishness, and we remained in the big house explaining our stories, staying in there well beyond dark.

We all warmed up to each other, and discovered that Padfoot's name was actually Sirius Black and Remus was quite ironically a werewolf. Sirius has been wrongfully convicted of murder, which was why he had given us an alias as he was on the run still.

We eventually finished the long introductions and backstories, before it was their turn, and they told us all about their war. Remus and Sirius had both been dead, and had mysteriously come back to life, no doubt through the time Thanatos had been chained. They had had a lot of trouble convincing their previous friends that they weren't imposters, and the Weasleys son had come back with them also, another casualty of war.

Hazel had told them when the two admitted that they had been dead that she too had been an escapee from the Underworld, and they immediately took to her.

They explained that they had heard the prophecy from a 'seer', their equivalent of an Oracle, and had made preparations to leave to find us. McGonagall had realised who we were and told them the address. It turns out that her sister had been a daughter of Athena, and her father had named her Minerva in honour of the woman he could never see again.

They had apparated here, and we determined that the mist had altered their course due to their distant and diluted godly blood confusing it, and they had fallen out of the sky.

The rest of us had never apparated before, and while we knew the theory, none of us were willing to make such a big jump for our first time. We decided that we would take the remodelled Argo II, even though it would take us a few days to get there.

We bid farewell to your new allies, and made them promise not to tell our status; we didn't want to strain any relationships by thrusting new and powerful knowledge in-front of people who had fought a war, they were already not trusting in the first place.

Me and Percy returned to Cabin Three, and packed all our belongings; we would get given other supplies when we needed them, and when we arrived in London, we would need to get wands. Leo asked Hephaestus to transfer the now huge warship form Bunker Nine to the Long Island Sound, it being too big to fit through the entrance.

Meanwhile, we all Iris messaged our parents, informing them of our quest. Everyone had been present for Percy's Iris message, as Sally had become a mother to all of us, and we had spent a good week with the Blofis's after the war.

She cried and wished us the best journey possible, and almost cursed the fates if they even dared to disturb us, but we convinced her not to.

"Make sure that you message us at least once a fortnight, Percy. I am not losing you again."

"Yes, mom." replied Percy, his voice somber. "I'll miss you."

"Oh I'll miss you too, Percy." said Sally, grasping her hands together on her lap as she sat on the couch in the image.

"Bye, mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Percy." She smiled wistfully.

"Bye, Sally! Love you!" shouted everyone else, and she smiled and gave them all goodbyes. She then cut through the message.

We all slumped back in our plush seats in the mess hall of the Argo II, already a hundred feet in the air, smoothly making our way across the Pacific.

We were in for a bumpy ride.

 **-** _ **These chapters are to make up for the time I've missed. I hope you enjoyed it!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**We Must Smell Really Bad**

Jason's POV

Jason sucker punched a metal bird out of the sky that morning.

After the first two attacks over the Pacific, they had - or Annabeth and Hazel had - established a defence rota. It was their second day at sea, and the Mediterranean had clearly sent out the memo that they weren't welcome after the destruction they left a while ago.

Their route was not going to be a straight one, as Leo wanted to check out a new method of fuel for the ship, and they were going in a straight line from Long Island to Italy. There was this ancient metal that Hephaestus had told him about, buried deep in the sands of their beaches, that you couldn't forge no matter what you did, but would supply magical fuel for years on end. It was Leo's dream, and he was already making plans to modify the dragon that sat on the front of the ship to use the very same fuel.

So they ploughed through the seventh attack this morning, where metal birds that Hercules had shot out of the sky decided to pay a visit.

Jason saw Annabeth in his periphery, who had come on at a half shift, shoot a long dagger out of her arm that pierced at least three man eating birds. "That was for the Chariot race!"

He did not question her enthusiasm, as she slashed and threw and caused wild destruction with her fluid and acrobatic fighting. Jason turned to his right to see a group of birds in a formation flying straight at him, and flew up. They soared underneath him, but quickly snapped upwards, with the agility of a hummingbird.

Tingling shot down his arms as lightning poured form his fingertips. The metal and wiring fizzled and the birds dropped like flies, lightning bouncing from one to another.

"Neat trick, Grace." commented Annabeth, looking disdainfully at the floorboards now littered with broken metal.

"Ahh, I'm sure Leo will use it for something." He responded, slowly lowering himself to the ground.

She nodded absentmindedly, looking at the horizon. The sun had just dipped beneath the clouds, and the sky was filled with hues of blue and orange.

"Your shift's over, Jason. Go get some rest."

Jason didn't even protest. They'd only had aerial attack's so far, and they'd have too travel by sea for the majority of the rest of the way home now, because they had encountered enough planes today with faces pressed to the tiny windows, staring as they flew by. Maybe Percy will be better off than us, he thought.

Jason stumbled into the latter's room, seeing him drooling in his sleep, the pillow damp from his used-to-be-wet hair. His foot was sticking out from under the covers, so he moved sluggishly to the side of the bed and zapped his ankle, jolting him awake.

"S'your turn, Water Boy." He slurred, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"One day, you and your sister are going to give me brain damage."

Jason only witnessed him dazedly rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he walked out the door promising, "You'll g'over it."

Jason stumbled into his bedroom, as the ship landed in the sea bumpily, and heard Leo walk calmly down the stairs behind him.

He didn't acknowledge him as he went straight to sleep. It only took a few minutes for the inevitable to happen, and he could already hear the happenings of an eighth attack, with Percy yelling loudly on deck and briefly wondered if they would sink.

Oh well.

.o.O.0.O.o.

 **Percy's POV**

I trooped up onto deck, still rubbing sleep out of my eyes and trying to find any leftover toothpaste in my mouth.

Annabeth was walking down from the controls, after landing the ship on the sea. I breathed in a deep breath, the salty, cool air reenergising me.

"Good evening, Seaweed Brain." said Annabeth, as she saw me wipe a little bit of toothpaste from the corner of my mouth.

"Why, good morning, Wise Girl." I replied, acting like a gentleman.

"You mean evening." she corrected.

I shrugged. She smiled and leaned up to kiss me. I eagerly responded before quickly pulling apart.

I began to spit, and my face scrunched up in disgust, as a tangy and sharp taste entered my mouth.

"What did you _eat?_ Did you have _lemons_ for breakfast?!" I exclaimed, as my eye began to involuntarily twitch and I struggled to swallow.

"What? No I didn't-" she stopped abruptly before turning to Leo. "You-"

Leo had just emerged from the storage room on deck, holding a bottle of antibacterial in one hand and a varnish in another. Probably about to clean Buford.

"Hey! What did I do?!" he said as Annabeth advanced murderously. "You dared me to eat a lemon!"

A goofy grin spread across his face. "Oh yeah. Sorry." he replied, looking far from it before walking down the stairs. Me and Piper were on the night shift, from sundown to sunrise while Annabeth and Leo were on a half shift, from midday to midnight. That way, at least two people on deck wouldn't be very tired. Jason and Hazel had just gone below deck to sleep, and Frank would come on at midnight, to replace Annabeth and Leo.

It was a very efficient rota.

Annabeth turned back to me, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, Kelp Head."

"Nah it's fine. Just no more kisses."

She smiled. And the ship shook. I briefly thought that her smile did it, and completely agreed with the ships reaction, till it began to rain squid.

One landed in front of me and Annabeth, and we both stared at the creature, laden with large eyes and long appendages.

"Ummm..."

For once, it seemed to me, Annabeth did not have an explanation.

"Awwww, come on little guy... let's get you back-"

I cooed, approaching the creature with arms outstretched, till it reared it's bulbous head and clamped its mouth over my arm.

"OUCH!" I yelled, my eyes widening in shock, hissing in pain.

Squid have teeth.

Another Squid landed on the deck, and then another, and another, and another. We looked round in wonder, and the pain in my arm began to pulse as the squids teeth remained buried in my flesh. How did it even pierce my skin? I shook, dislodging the evil creature, and backed up to where Annabeth stood, slightly crouching.

"Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"What are they?"

"I don't know, but... they might be baby Krakens? They look like squid, and Krakens are similar, but there's nothing else that I can call them, I think..."

"Right."

And they began to fly at us, using their limbs as propellers. I knocked one back into the sea with my fist before ducking under another, and spinning horizontally, my feet leaving the ground, and spinning outstretched as I spun, hitting more out of the air. I felt like a propeller myself.

I landed and saw Annabeth fluidly sending dagger after dagger into the mythical ship-eaters, ducking and leaping over and under the black and slimy cephalopods.

The small but multitude of teeth were visible as a squid trying to fling itself around my face, and I quickly ducked, letting it fly splat into the thick mast. It writhed as it bit into the wood.

I briefly wondered where Leo was, why Piper was taking so long in the loo, before a huge shadow looked over the ship. I chucked the last of the squid on my side of the deck over board, before turning to the starboard side to look at the new visitor.

"Poseidon's smelly underpants, what the Hades is that?"

It was huge version of the squid/kraken, but with more green, and little sharp teeth lining it's tentacles.

Annabeth came up beside me to observe the creature.

"A tiger, Seaweed Brian. It's the baby krakens mother, idiot." she deadpanned. She looked disbelievingly at me and muttered, " _Vlacas."_

"Thanks."

She leaned back, her arm above her head, and a golden mist formed in her grip. She bounded forward on the now-huge deck, and threw it at the beast, the golden mist becoming an Imperial Golden spear as it flew, plunging deep into the creatures soft skin.

The creature screeched in a rough squelching sound, its eyes narrowing in madness and pain. A long tentacle came whipping out, driving straight into Annabeth's stomach, and forcefully shoving her into the mast. She slumped to the floor, slightly winded but otherwise fine from the usually-back-breaking move. I breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that she had the Achilles curse.

 _"_ Hey, Slime Head!" I yelled, trying to gain its attention as it attempted to knock Annabeth down again and she sliced through the end of the tentacle with a knife.

Its attention moved, and it squirmed. I saw the surrounding water become black and begin to churn. Hazel flirted through my mind and I really hoped she was too asleep to become seasick. It must have released some ink, and I could only imagine what Leo would do once he found the black ring that would line the ship.

Two thin tentacles came at me and tried to puncture me, but hit my rock-like skin and bounced off harmlessly, flying past my shoulders. I took that opportunity to click riptide, and slide it through the tentacles.

Piper chose that moment to walk on deck, and stared at the monster.

" _Don't just stand there! Do something!"_ I yelled, running from a tentacle as the Kraken used another to fight Annabeth, trying to encircle her and lift her off the ground. She threw her arm at the mast close behind her and hauled the dagger that had punctured it out of the wood, and began to slash repeatedly at the limb, causing it to recoil.

Piper broke out of her daze and rushed to help, taking off Zethe's sword that was attached to her hip, and cutting cleanly through the limb chasing after me. The unattached appendage wriggled on the floor, before exploding into dust.

"Oi, ugly!" yelled Piper, trying to distract the monster from Annabeth. It provoked the strongest reaction from it so far, and I figured that squid were the vain type.

It looked at her dead in the eye, and she continued to speak.

"You don't want to attack the ship. You think that we are fine passing through your territory."

"We killed her kids, Piper. You're gonna have to do better than that!" I yelled, slicing up another tentacle from the end up, pieces falling like mouldy cucumber slices, before exploding into pixie dust.

"I know, I know!" came her indignant reply. "I could kinda force her to be... calm!" She continued, punctuating her last word with a satisfying stab through a thick tentacle, dust pouring out of the wound.

"But I'd have to be touching her!"

I shook my head, dodging a well aimed spurt of ink. "There's little teeth lining her limbs; you'd cut yourself even if she was dead!"

"You're going to have to amp up the charmspeak, Pipes!" yelled Annabeth from the other side of the deck, where a sneaky appendage had wrapped itself around the ship. She ran to our side, and the tentacles followed her, lying taught as they reached the end of their length.

"Cut it!" screamed Annabeth.

We whirled into action, cutting trough the multitude of limbs chasing Annabeth. The Kraken screeched in pain, and heaved two large tentacles out of the water. They must have been the last ones, because the mother began to shake, rocking the boat with it.

"Stop!" yelled Piper, her charmspeak much stronger this time. The beast halted, looking at her with barely contained fury. "You don't care about your children. You just want to find another boat, and eat that one instead."

The Kraken deflated, as if contemplating her words, and we all stilled, not wanting to startle the beast. Of course that's the moment Leo decided to stroll on deck.

"HOLY MOTHER OF ZEUS!"

The fonzies he held in his grip burst into flames.

And the the Kraken seemed to have a panic attack. The tentacles whipped through the air, leaving everyone to jump or duck under the frenzied limbs. I ducked and whipped Riptide above my head, going for a lucky hit. The celestial bronze sunk into the flesh, and the rest of the limb tore the sword out of my grip, and over into the sea.

"No!"

I cursed in my head, before realising that the wound I had inflicted left one uninjured tentacle left, and it was currently hurtling at me. I froze, the huge limb coming at me. I had no sword to defend myself.

"PERCY!"

Annabeth's scream tore through the night, echoed by the churning, black waves. I jolted our if my panic, and I raised my hands in front of my head as a last ditch effort, with there being to place or time for me to run or duck. I braced myself to be ripped through the wooden edge and tumble into the sea. At least I'd be stronger there.

But the blow never came.

I peeked through my scrunched shut eyes, and saw the tentacle quivering, hovering it the air. I leaned round, and saw that the Kraken still had much more reach.

"What?"

Annabeth gasped.

"Telekinesis! Oh my gods, Percy! You're a _telekinetic!"_

My eyes widened. I then grinned, and pushed my arms back, almost feeling the weight of the Kraken. Said monster moved away from the ship, and the tentacles followed. I then slowly began to force my splayed hands together, and the Kraken began I squirm. I finally clasped my fingers, and the vibrating monster combusted, exploding dust everywhere.

"That's new."

Leo's statement drew everyone's attention, and well all began to brush off the dust that had settled in our clothes.

"You guys must smell real bad. That had to be a record, right. A monster within, what? Three minutes?"

We all glared at him.

"What? S'not me, I was below." he raised his hands in defence, his shoulders raising and an innocent look pasted on his face.

- **sorry this is kinda a filler chapter, but next time we'll be taking a peek into the wizards side. I won't be able to post for a while because I have a week of tests, but I hope these chapters make up for it!**

 **Thank you for your support!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Where's Did It Go?**

Harry POV

 **Harry woke to Fur Elise that day.**

Usually it would be a nice thing to hear at two thirty four in the afternoon, but today it scratched at his ears. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, wincing at another emphasised note that surely didn't have a place in the classic.

He drew on mismatched socks, one of which he was sure was Ron's, and jeans, as well as yesterday's shirt. He needed more clothes.

Yawning, he stumbled down the narrow and steep staircase, a headache forming between his temples as he entered the kitchen, where Hermione sat probably getting some light reading with the magical encyclopaedia she was pouring over. She had a cup of coffee in front of her, and he headed to the kettle to get the remaining hot water.

Once he had finished making himself some coffee and spillt most of it on the counter, he turned back.

"What you reading there, 'Mione?" He said, trying to casually take a sip and immediately regretting it when scalding coffee slid down his throat. He grimaced and almost dropped the mug. His experience with gillyweed weirdly floated into his head while he gasped and gripped at the wooden counter.

Hermione remained oblivious to his fit, turned the page and continued to read, all the while taking a sip from her own steaming mug.

"Hermione?" he choked.

As the pain in his throat subsided, Harry frowned. He walked over and tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up. She quickly reached up to her ears and pulled two things out.

"Sorry, Harry. Ron's music was getting a bit much." She said apologetically. She waved the two white foam pieces in her hand. "Charmed earplugs."

A loud bang erupted from the stairs, and they both turned to Mrs Black's portrait, but she remained silent.

"I'm surprised she's done nothing about Ron." She muttered.

"Are Fred and George here?" asked Harry, his face twisted in confusion, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, they came late last night." confirmed Hermoine, closing her book. "You and Ron had already gone to bed, but you missed Mrs Weasley tackle them. She didn't let go for half an hour."

Harry nodded and winced as another bang sounded and Ron's fingers jumped on the piano, making an ear splitting sound.

Usually Mrs Weasley would have stormed up the stairs by now and demanded for them to hand over the vast array of legal and illegal items. And then Mrs Black would have started screaming.

"Where's Mrs Weasley? And Mr Weasley? It's a Saturday."

"They didn't drink last night, so Mr and Mrs Weasley, Lupin, Sirius and Bill all left last night." She replied putting her mug in the sink. She flicked her wand at it and the washcloth began to scrub it before she continued. "Remember Trelawny's prophecy? At the first Order meeting."

I nodded, taking another cautious sip.

"Well, McGonagall came around yesterday morning - I really have to figure out who the new secret keeper is - and she gave us an address that she said to try.

"She didn't tell us what it was, but she said that she had a feeling that the people there were the ' _seven from legends of now,"_ said Hermione, using her fingers as quotation marks.

Her condescension was evident, and she had been immediately opposed to the idea of there being ' _legends of now'_ , that we didn't know about.

"I mean, surely we would know about any _legends!_ " She exclaimed shrilly, frustration building on her face. "We'd know about them in the papers, or be taught about them in Hogwarts. If anyone is a legend, it should be everyone at Hogwarts! That address was for somewhere in New York!"

"So?" replied Harry, trying to cover up his indifference. To be honest, he'd prefer the mundane over the legendary. With the mundane still including magic.

"So the wizarding community is really small in America!" She hurried over to the table, where Harry discovered the book to be one imaginatively named _Magic._

Ron walked in, sporting a jumper with a big patch on the arm and bags under his eyes.

He raised his eyebrows at Harry in greeting, before slumping onto the bench beside Hermione.

"Mornin' Harry."

Harry nodded slightly, lifting his mug to him and smiling slightly at his messed up internal clock. He didn't believe that Ron had gotten up much earlier than him.

Hermione flipped open the big book and Harry sat in the wooden bench opposite her.

"I've been reading about the American's"-

"Big surprise there." muttered Ron, propping his head up on his elbow.

"- and the only school on record is Ilvermorny, with their last known report when the last Triwizard Cup took place." She said, controlling her need for information. She seemed to be trying to not get worked up. "The one before yours." She added hastily, glancing at Harry.

"After that there's nothing." said Hermione, ploughing on through Ron's remark.

"And then there's their ministry." Hermione said heavily."

"Hmmm?" hummed Harry, taking another sip. He didn't choke this time, but grimaced.

She sighed. "The last known Minister of Magic in America was Merlock Steward... _in nineteen thirty five._ "

Harry's eyes narrowed at that.

"And? Maybe they're really bad social people, or forgot to make regular announcements of their state of living." shrugged Ron.

Hermione didn't even crack a smile, "Where did their Ministry go?"

Harry didn't have an answer for her. But he did remember lots of muggle papers that he had read at the Dursley's, cooped up in the bedroom and cupboard under the stairs.

Most of them were about politics going wrong and advertisements for the best fertilisers, but some detailed mysterious weather and freak natural disasters.

"Wasn't there a lot of weird things happening in America?" voiced Harry.

Hermione nodded vigorously, "Yeah, I've read as many muggle papers as I can, and there have been stuff like-" She heaved a stack of newspapers from the bench beside her onto the table. "' _Mount St Helens: Sleepy Volcano Wakes.'"_ She read, moving her finger u def the title. "It says here that Mount St Helens has only had small eruptions over the last thirty six years, but in 2007 it had a huge eruption, before it was _obliterated_ later on in the year."

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Surely that could have just been a freak accident? That's not magic."

"Or one super powerful _diffindo_ spell." said Ron, helpfully.

"But that's not even it!" went on Hermione. "There was a period of time when Manhattan literally went off the map. Three days, no contact at all. Whatsoever."

She stared at Harry.

"And at the end of it, Manhattan was in ruins." Hermione added.

"So what does it have to do with legends? This is all to do with weird things that happen in America." said Ron, his head still on his elbow.

Hermione's lips thinned. "I don't believe that it's not magical, but then all the muggles there don't suspect a thing."

"Couldn't they be obliviated?"

Hermione reluctantly tipped her head and grimaced in defeat, "They could have been, and it's happened before, but..."

And then the front door opened, and Mrs Weasley came potting into view.

"Hello dears!" She said cheerily.

"Hello Mrs Weasley." said Harry and Hermione in unison.

"Hullo, mum. Where's everyone else?"

"Oh," She replied, putting her coat on the stand and her umbrella. "Their apparating one by one. The doorstep is awfully small."

Just on cue, Remus stumbled into the kitchen looking as if he had been shoved, and Sirius following soon after with a cheeky grin on his face.

Lupin turned around to say something, but Bill came into view and gave him a look. He turned around reluctantly.

"How was your trip?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, it was very nice, Hermione. We had to make several stops along the way, but we did find McGonagall's friends. Nice lot they are." said Bill, slumping into the bench, before yawning.

"Coffee, dear?" said Mrs Weasley. Bill nodded.

"Me too, Molly!" said a voice floating down the hall. Mr Weasley came into view.

"When are the wizards coming?" asked Hermione stiffly.

Molly didn't reply and kept her back firmly turned around, but Remus spoke for her. The three of them swivelled their heads to him quickly.

"They are coming by the end if the week at most they said. One of them is a blacksmith of sorts and wanted to go to Italy to visit someone there."

They nodded.

"Anything else?" pressed Hermione.

"What else is there to say?" said Sirius, his feet resting on the table.

"Did they seem... legendary?"

Remus sighed. "They aren't your average bunch of wizards Hermione. They've been through a lot, and you know about some of it from the amount of stuff on the table." He gestured to the newspapers and big book.

"So I was right!" She exclaimed. "I knew they weren't natural disasters."

 _Crack!_

 _"_ What's that about natural disasters?" said George, stumbling slightly as he landed, squeezed in the doorway with Me Weasley.

" _Boys!_ What have I said about apparating in the house?!"

The twins shrugged, and Fred said "Natural disasters?"

Hermione silently handed him the first three newspapers, and he began to rifle through them.

George peered over his shoulder, and Fred handed him a paper. "Muggle newspapers are mighty boring, if you ask me." He said, looking at Harry and Hermione.

Harry shrugged.

"Blimey, Americans are as cracked as an egg."

Everyone looked at George, and he read out, " _Kid Bravely Faces Gunman."_

"Did he die?" asked Ron, grimacing.

"No, he actually went on to attack him and disarmed him. And then went missing for six months."

"Lovely." said Mr Weasley, taking a mug from Mrs Weasley.

The rest remained silent.

"What?"

Harry clearly saw that they were hiding something, and he didn't care for secrets.

"What, dear?" inquired Mrs Weasley.

"What aren't you telling us - and don't say that there isn't."

She paused, but Sirius replied.

"We think that it's best for them to tell you; it's their secret to keep, after all."

Harry looked at Sirius with an expression of indignation and reluctance. Sirius was usually the one backing him up, not knocking him down.

"That's fair."

Surprisingly, it came from Ron. Hermione remained silent beside him, but Harry could clearly see and almost hear the clogs moving in her head, running through all possibilities.

The week dragged on, with Fred and George using a new version of Extendable Ears whenever we weren't present, and Mrs Weasley charming every room in the house to resist them.

But finally, Friday came along, and we all sat eating homemade fish and chips, squished onto the benches, when the air above the middle of the table began to shimmer, and a scene that wasn't Ginny's face came to life in front of Harry.

 **Sorry this took a while to get up, I was trying to capture the Harry Potter writing style, but I don't really think it went too well. Anyways, please vote and leave a comment; they mean so much. Thank you!**

 **BYE ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Some Monsters Have English Accents**

Narrator POV

 **The demigods reached Italy in two more days, and encountered 12 more monster attacks (Annabeth counted).** The metal that Leo was looking for was supposed to be somewhere on the west coastline - the front of the boot as Jason had described to Frank - and he had narrowed it down to about a kilometre of beach. On the tip of the shoe.

Not wanting to attract monsters, Hazel and Percy joined Leo in searching for the fuel, while the rest stayed on board.

"Miss Metal Detector, have you found it yet?" asked Leo for what had to be the millionth time.

Hazel gritted her teeth and managed to control her irritation for the incessant son of Hephaestus.

"Like I said two minutes ago, I don't even know what the metal is called, so locating it is going to be hard. It could be a kilometre in any direction."

She turned back to the task at hand, muttering "When was the last time you covered that much ground..."

Leo frowned when he heard her, but obediently sat back down on the rock, and put his hand on the ground. He tried to feel if there was any machinery buried in the sand; if the metal was part of a contraption. But he didn't feel a thing, and sighed.

Percy was sat on the beach, after finding an empty area among the tourists. He sat, obliviously drawing nonsensical lines in the sand and tuning out Leo's impatience.

Suddenly, Hazel gasped, hands splayed by her sides and leaning towards the sea.

She opened her eyes. "It's over there." Hazel pointed, holding the hair out of her face as the wind blew.

"I can't drag it here though. For some reason I can only sense it." She frowned.

Her finger was pointing in the direction of the sea, and Leo excitedly turned to Percy.

"Can you take me down there, Water Boy?!"

Percy turned and said, "Don't call me Water Boy." he scowled.

"Whatever." Leo waved his hand dismissively.

Percy shook his head but grumbled, "Come'n"

The two navigated through the towels and tourists, Hazel preferring to stay on land and lick an ice cream that she had bought for herself.

Leo turned around and she gave them a thumbs up, hopefully using her mist to make them look like they were having a swim and not a treasure hunt for a big lump of metal.

As soon as they were completely submerged, Percy made a bubble around Leo's head. He took a deep breath, and the two began to search for the metal.

Percy quickly found it by asking some fish if they had seen it, and they directed him to a spot. It was barren, so the two began to dig, before Percy remembered that he could just force the water at it and move all the sand quickly.

After a few minutes of this, the two found a massive piece of metal that Percy floated back to shore. It was a dark grey colour, with what looked like rusty bits, and rough to the touch.

Leo heated himself up to dry off when they reached he shore, and the three of them began to walk over the water while Percy tried to balance the large metal sheet on his head and Hazel doused them with Mist. Percy sometimes lost his focus when trying to steady the eleven foot wide sheet, and the other two often found themselves walking a foot below the water level.

"Percy!" exclaimed Hazel, finding herself knee deep in the water.

"Sorry, sorry!" he replied, and she stepped back into the surface, and he held the metal steady with his hands.

They eventually found themselves on the ship and Leo immediately dragged the metal to the engine room to convert it into fuel.

The demigods sailed another few days to England, crossing the English Channel and finding their way into London via the Thames.

Not many people noticed them, but the occasional dog began to bark at them.

.o.O.0.O.o.

Pipers POV

Piper gritted her teeth as she was shoved into a deep puddle by a telkhine.

They were currently two streets away from their destination, and were originally trying to find the address on the lamplit roads. Darkness enveloped the city in the night, and clouds hung above their heads, but it had already rained so they weren't worried about getting wet.

Or so Piper had thought.

It snarled at her and she swung Zethe's sword at it, grazing his arm and immediately changing direction to plough into its side. It dissolved into dust, and she saw Hazel give her a bright smile as she plunged her Spatha into another.

Hazel had continued to give her lessons in wielding a sword since she renounced Katoptris as her weapon, and she had proceeded to steadily improve, much to her delight.

A huge mob of telkhines had thrown themselves at the demigods, about fifty of them, their combined auras too noticeable. Percy and Annabeth kept apologising and had apologetic faces on the entire time as they knew they were the source, but we all shushed them and continued our trek to the address we had been given by Molly.

However, the two made up for it by fighting like demons and ploughing through them like butter. They worked as one, often using each other for support or anchors to launch themselves at monsters.

A fireball whizzed passed Piper and she hissed as it singed the hairs on her face. She tentatively brought her fingers up to her eyebrows and tried to feel if they were still there.

Leo ran passed her, wielding his flaming hammer and yelling, "Sorry, Beauty Queen!"

He smashed his hammer into the head of a small telkhine and it dropped, bursting into dust.

"Ha! Take that, you slimy dogs!" He screamed, and raced at a knee target.

Piper rolled her eyes and turned back to the fight. She walked out of the puddle that was slowly making her shiver, and saw Jason fighting a big telkhine which seemed to know how to handle a sword, not noticing another sneaking up behind him.

"Hey, dog-face!" she yelled.

She needed new insults.

"Over here, big ears!"

Yup, she really did.

Her dismal efforts surprisingly worked and the monster turned around, a snarl on his face. At least, she assumed it was a he.

"Ha! A daughter of Aphrodite invites me to kill her!" It gave her a toothy smile. "I shall take great pleasure in doing so."

It stalked towards her, and she readied her sword.

"Hey, Annabeth! Did you hear that?! He has an _English accent!_ "

Percy's excited observation was so out of character as he obliterated a monster, Piper wanted to laugh, but she swallowed it and swung her sword at the monsters neck as it turned to snarl at the son of Poseidon.

It brought his sword up just in time though, and she almost snarled herself as heir swords clanged.

" _You don't want to fight. You want to drop your sword, and run away."_

She wove charmspeak into her words, but the telkhine simply laughed and bit out, in a guttural voice, "Your words don't... work on me, little girl."

But she heard the strain in his voice and grinned. She pulled her sword downwards, dislodging it and dodging an attack.

"Oh really?"

The monster simply snarled at her and dove again, but she sidestepped an it fell face first into the puddle.

"How do you like a taste of your own medicine." She muttered dryly. She pumped more charmspeak into her voice. " _You want to run away. You don't want to fight."_

The monster got to his feet and stumbled around.

"I-I want to go- I don't want to fight.." he stated uncertainly.

" _Yes, don't return, and never attack us again"_

The telkhine nodded obediently and ran off. A smirk played on her lips.

"Whose next?" She said, feigning excitement and spinning around.

Her smirk dropped when she saw the amount of monsters left.

"Start heading for the address!" yelled Annabeth, viciously slashing at a telkhine that was visibly backpedaling. "We'll hold them!"

Hazel and Piper turned to her and protested. Frank looked like he wanted to as well, but was currently a bear and incapable of speech. He roared in indignation instead.

"But-"

"We're fin-"

Annabeth shook her head, and yelled, "Don't worry, we'll be fine!" She punctuated her last word by sending a knife into a sneaky telkhines head before continuing to spar with the first one.

"You guys find the place, Remus said something about it being disguised! Iris message them _only_ if you have too and can't find it!"

Percy decapitated another one, and yelled, "Go! We'll just attract more monsters!"

Even though she knew it was wrong to leave, Annabeth had a point. The two would be fine, and they needed to split from those two to avoid any more monsters.

She reluctantly started back down the road, grabbing Jason's hand and dragging him away, Frank the bear at her heels. The bear shot out his arms and grabbed Hazel, swinging her onto his back, and she let out a small squeal.

The five of them raced down the street, leaving the telkhines behind.

"Leo! Where's the paper with the address?" panted Piper as she ran, taking her hand out of Jason's so she could pump her arms.

"It's here somewhere!" he responded, digging into his toolbelt. He stumbled on a drain but procured a small slip of paper. And promptly burnt it to ashes.

"Leo!" admonished Hazel, while Piper simply glared at him.

"What the hell man? How are we going to find it now?!" exclaimed Jason as the entered the next street. Piper silently thanked the gods that they weren't in the city centre and no-one was taking a midnight stroll.

"There's at least fifteen houses here!"

"I'm sorry, that always happens when I'm nervous!" defended Leo, futilely cupping the ashes as if they would still tell him the address.

They stopped running when they reached the end of the street and they all caught their breath. Hazel, who hadn't been running, spoke up, surveying the houses.

"Didn't Annabeth say something about Iris-messaging them?"

"Only if we had to though." said Jason. "We don't want to expose ourselves."

"We've got no other option - what do your think'll happen if we knock on a mortals door and they see Frank?" countered Hazel.

Piper nodded and began to search her pockets for drachma's, but came up empty handed.

"Wait, I think I have some." said Jason, and he bright out a gold coin from his trouser pocket.

She took it from her hand, and walked over to the nearest lamp, leaning around it till she found a good angle with a rainbow.

Piper threw it into it, and said, "O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow. Accept my offering and show me Remus Lupin at..." She tried to remember the name of the building, but Jason supplied it for her.

"Grimmauld Place."

"-Grimmauld Place." She smiled thankfully at him.

The air shimmered and a cluttered but cosy looking kitchen was revealed. Remus sat, a chip halfway to his mouth and squashed beside Sirius, a dark haired and ginger boy.

"Hi, Remus!" said Piper merrily, and the rest of them waved, save for Frank who grunted.

He spluttered, "P-Piper! W-what- how-"

"Merlin's underpants!" yelled the ginger boy while the dark haired one simply stared with his jaw dropped.

"Oh, don't mind that. We'll explain later." she hurried. "The slip of paper with the address on it was accidentally _burnt_ ," Piper glared at Leo as he shrunk away. "-so we don't know the address anymore."

"We know the street," stated Jason, gesturing to the empty road. "But there's about fifteen houses here."

Silence came from the Iris-message, and Piper had a feeling they had interrupted dinner with some people who didn't know about them yet.

"Uh, yes..." came Remus's eloquent reply.

"The address." prompted Hazel, still sitting on Frank's back.

The eyes of the four people visible in the message widened considerably when they made our her figure on Frank in the darkness.

"Yes, its number twelve Grimmauld Place, Islington, London. It's in between number eleven and thirteen, and all you have to do is visualise the address, and it'll appear." he seemed to get over his shock.

Piper nodded. "Okay, we'll see you soon."

And she slashed through the message.

"It must be some form of mist." said Hazel, sitting back on Frank and rubbing his ear. His head was cocked and a deep rumbling sound came resonating from his throat.

"Frank, are you purring?" asked Leo, incredulously.

Frank grunted at him and Hazel smiled. "You sound like a giant cat."

Jason shook his head and frowned. "Nah, it's more like a really quiet hoover."

"Okay, changing topics," interrupted Piper, trying to interfere with the ADHD. "We need to find eleven and thirteen."

The group nodded and they began to walk down the road.

"Seven, eight, six, one hundred..." Leo counted as he squinted at the house numbers.

"Leo, you're reading it wrong. That's ten, not one hundred." corrected Hazel.

"Details, schmeetails." he waved off, and continued to incorrectly name the house numbers.

Frank stopped in front of a house, and Piper stared at the house numbers, seeing eleven and thirty one. But Frank didn't have dyslexia, so she assumed that the number was thirteen.

"We have to visualise the address." Hazel said.

Piper closed her eyes and repeated the address over and over in her head. She could hear Leo next to her chanting under his breath, "Number twelve, Grimmy something, twelve grim bricks, London.."

She smiled slightly, but continued her mantra till she heard the sound of bricks rubbing together like chalk.

Her eyes opened and widened as she saw another house begin to emerge from inside another. She saw a fish tank vibrating in the window, but an oblivious couple intently watching television behind it.

"Definitely a form of the Mist."

When the rest of the house shifted back harshly to line up with the rest, they bounded up the slightly shabby looking trail, and knocked on the door.

The door gave slightly under Piper's fist, and she tentatively pushed the door open. It revealed a warm red hallway, that looked slightly dirty and broken, and simply stared at the narrow room.

Leo shoved her into it.

The other three shuffled in behind her, while Frank made sure that no monsters were prowling the streets.

And then people came streaming out of a doorway and blinked at them.

"Hello." said Piper, thinking it a good way to start the conversation.

Frank grunted and turned back around before morphing back into Frank. The people blinked again.

"Are you a metamorphmagi?" asked a lanky ginger boy, who had an identical copy of him to his left.

Pipers mind scrambled for the definition, but Hazel came to it quicker and answered for him.

"Of the sort."

"Why don't you come in, dearies? We have a lot to talk about."

Piper smiled gratefully at Molly, and began to walk towards the doorway while everyone shuffled back in, before Annabeth's voice came swirling into her head.

 _Piper? Can you hear me?_

"Annabeth?"

 _Oh thank gods! It worked, Percy._

"I didn't know you could talk in peoples heads." she stated bluntly, noticing that people were staring at her.

 _Neither did I. Anyway, we've found eleven and thirteen- Percy I'm very sure it's not thirty one!_

Piper chuckled at Percy's assumption, having thought the same earlier.

 _But I don't know where twelve is._

"You have to imagine the address in your head and it'll emerge from thirteen. Just keep thinking about it." replied Piper, holding a finger up to everyone's questioning faces.

 _Oh thanks Piper. See you in a minute!_

And then Piper felt as if a weight left her head and gripped Jason's arm as the walls spun.

"Hey, you alright?" he said concernedly.

"Yeah I'm just a little light-headed. Annabeth's telepathy is weird."

Once the dizziness faded, she found everyone staring at her.

"We have two more coming; we were held up and they were the, uh, _best equipped,_ to deal with it."

A bushy haired girl nodded her head, and the door swung open. Percy and Annabeth stood there, panting slightly and clothes ripped, but didn't seem to have a cut on them. They walked to the doorway and jaws dropped.

The younger looking ginger boy blurted out, "Are you a Veela?"

Annabeth looked at him for a second before replying, her smooth voice cutting through the silence.

"No, but you're not far off to be honest." she admitted and Piper snorted.

"What's a Veela?" asked Percy, his rich voice sounding oddly naive.

Annabeth turned to him. "It's a woman that's supposed to be very beautiful with blonde hair and blue eyes. They can morph into harpy-like creatures when mad, and originally started in Slavic folklore."

He stated at her for a few seconds before turning back to the ginger kid.

"Yeah, damn right she's a Veela."


	10. Chapter 10

**To Tell Or Not To Tell**

Hermione's POV

 **The newcomers made Hermione very unsure.** They were far too playful to seem like legends who had defeated many a foe and certainly didn't put her mind at rest. She had expected hardened war veterans who made her skin crawl and chills to go down her back.

Hermione had never believed in Divination in the slightest, but the prophecy that had come out of Trelawny's mouth had also been given in America so she had no choice but I swallow it.

They all sat comfortably around the wooden dining table, Fred and George sitting on the counter and Mrs Weasley leaning against the sink. All the Americans were sat on one end of the table, and the majority of her opinions were dubious of their ages. The oldest couldn't have been twenty and the African American girl looked as old as Ginny.

But Hermione had to remind herself that they themselves weren't exactly the epitome of adulthood so she shouldn't judge.

"How about you introduce yourselves, dears." suggested Mrs Weasley, a kindly look on her face.

The beautiful blonde nodded. "I'm Annabeth Chase."

Her voice sounded so _nice,_ and made Hermione's ears yearn for more, but she also heard a slight sinister twinge to it. Ron's guess of a Veela wasn't unfounded.

Annabeth looked at a good looking dark haired boy next to her, "I'm Percy Jackson." He also had a rich voice, that had a similar magical touch to it as Annabeth did. She wondered if they had charmed it.

Hermione was surprised that Mr and Mrs Weasley didn't break anything at the mention of their third sons name.

A scrawny Latino looking elf looked up tinkering with something in his hands and said, "Leo McShizzle Valdez." giving a troublemaker grin.

Another pretty girl who looked Native American rolled her eyes at the boy and said, "Forget McShizzle, Repair Boy." She turned back to the wizards and said, "I'm Piper McLean."

Hermione's brows furrowed at the revelation, and she asked, "As in Tristan McLean?"

Piper grimaced slightly and nodded.

"Who's that?" asked Ron bluntly.

"He's a famous American actor. They create movies."

Ron seemed satisfied with the answer as Hermione had told him what it was in fifth year.

"I think I saw an advert for one of his movies... Hercules, I think it was." speculated Harry.

"Hate that movie." muttered Piper under her breath. Hermione smiled. She didn't think that she'd like her dad to be the age of the movie and spend most of the time without a shirt.

A stereotypical California boy say next her, holding her hand and said "Jason Grace." He looked as if he could be Annabeth's brother, but he had a different last name.

The African American said, "Hazel Levesque." and the bulky Chinese Boy next to her said, "Frank Zhang."

Bill, who was now transferred to a London as a Curse-Breaker, began to introduce people.

"You know Mum, Dad, Remus and Sirius, but those two on the counter are Fred-" George waved, "and George." Fred waved.

"We have another brother, Charlie, but he's still in Romania-"

"What does he do?" interrupted Jason, his face curious.

Ron provided him with an answer, "He's a dragonologist."

"As in dragons?" he asked suprisedly.

Ron nodded.

Percy cringed. "Nasty things."

The rest of the Americans chuckled.

"Hear, hear." mumbles Harry.

"You had a run in with dragons?" asked Annabeth, her gaze piercing. Her eyes seemed to be molten silver, only brighter.

Harry nodded, "Fourth year."

"Man, feel so bad for you." said Leo, shaking his head sorrowfully. Hermione thought that his emotions always seemed a bit extreme, with one minute being a troublemaker and arrogant boy, to a empathetic theatre actor.

"That's Ron, there." Bill pointed to Ron, moving on from the topic, "and Ginny."

The two waved slightly at the mention of their names.

"And then we have Hermione Granger,"

"Nice to meet you."

"and lastly, Harry Potter." He gave a small nod.

The Americans nodded.

"It's nice to meet you." offered Hazel, and Hermione and Mrs Weasley smiled at her. Good manners was a diamond-like thing in a household with the twins and Ron.

"So, the prophecy..." said Harry, trailing off at the end.

Hermione was thinking the same thing; they didn't know anything about how to tackle it, and she sort of hoped that the Americans would have some insight.

Annabeth nodded, "We get a few of those, but when we heard this one we knew it was different-"

"Ta da!"

Leo had dropped something on the table, looking very pleased with himself. Hermione craned her neck to see a little chicken made out of brass wires. It cocked its head at her and opened its beak in a silent _cluck._

"Right..." said Hermione, blankly staring at the miniature chicken as it pecked the table top. Definitely bi-polar.

She saw Fred and George grin at each other in her periphery.

"So have you got a Seer? In... wherever you guys are. I know you don't have a Ministry anymore..."

Percy nodded, "Yeah, her name's Rachel. She gives as a few of them a year. Not the nicest job description, of you ask me..."

Jason shared a grimace with him.

"As for the ministry..."

Annabeth took over, seeming the most focused of their group.

"I know this is probably going to sound unbelievable, but we haven't had much contact with the rest of the wizarding world because we've been trying to hold America together." She had an earnest expression on her face.

"The Ministry of Magic did fall a while ago and some native magical creatures kind of took over, but the small amount that's left of us keep it in check."

Okay, that wasn't the explanation Hermione was expecting.

"There is a council left of extremely powerful witches and wizards, but they're really old now so the younger ones do the leg-work, while they make decisions."

"How?" blurted out Hermione; it wasn't a question of how their lives worked but one of incomprehension. It was a drastic difference to what Hermione had cooked up as possibilities for the mystery disappeared of their Ministry.

Annabeth seemed to catch on.

"It was a bit confusing at first, but eventually it got under control. The magical creatures evolved to sense witches and wizards so we went into hiding, and send our scouts to find muggleborns. There aren't many of them though." she added.

"Some of the animals have spread overseas so you'll find some loose here; that's why our clothes are all tattered. Some escapee magical creatures recognised our scent as what's left of the American wizarding society and decided to make life difficult." said Annabeth, lifting up her tattered shirt as proof.

"Difficult is pushing it." remarked Jason, staring dismally down at a Rio in his trouser leg.

"Wait, does that mean you seven are all that's left?" asked Hermione, alarm written all over her face.

Frank, who had remained silent for the exchange looked at her with an equal look of alarm. "No, no, no! Not at all, there's about two hundred in, or maybe one hundred and fifty in..." he counted on his hand. "And then about... fifty, so roughly about two hundred, two hundred and fifty total maximum, left."

That wasn't a lot, noted Hermione.

Annabeth continued: "The creatures tend to make life really difficult if you stay with muggles, so we made a permanent camp for witches and wizards with magical wards to keep them out; at the moment it's the safest place in America for us." she explained.

Hermione blinked.

"Uh, if you don't mind me wonderin'... why are you lot legends?" came Ron's tentative question, and Hermione had to admit that she was intrigued herself.

They looked among each other, "Well, we get a few prophecies that predict major attacks by monsters, that's what we call them, and us lot tend to be the ones chosen to go on the 'quests' so stop them. Not many of us reach adulthood in America, so... we're what's left, really."

Piper explained while Annabeth remained silent. She looked solemnly at the ground and Percy gripped her hand, his eyes pained. Hermione suspected that they had gone on a lot of 'quests' together and were a couple.

"Life must be very different for you guys then." spoke Harry, piping up for the first time that evening.

The group nodded.

"Molly, do you mind if we get some sleep?" asked Piper, her face pleading, as she quickly changed the topic before an awkward silence arrived.

"We've been running from monsters since we landed and we're quite tired... we don't mind sleeping in the living room."

"Of course dears! We do have extra rooms but some of them are quite uninhabitable." She replied, clasping her hands together and smiling warmly.

"The living room will have to do for them moment, but I'm not sure if you all will fit... we can cast an extendable charm though..." She seemed to contemplate looking at her husband inquiringly before Percy objected.

"Not at all, Mrs Weasley. Me and Annabeth-"

"Annabeth and I." muttered Annabeth.

"-and Leo-"

"Annabeth, Leo and I."

"-can sleep in the ship. Will that be okay? We'll be back early in the morning and I'm sure Leo would like to check on it."

Leo backed up furiously, his eyes wide. "I'm sure Annabeth's got it, and I do _not_ want to be third wheeling you two lovebirds."

The rest of the group chuckled and sent them knowing looks, but it all looked like friendly teasing.

Percy blushed while Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Give it a rest, Leo. You and Calypso are no better." She chided.

"You guys have a ship?" said Fred and George, looking at them in disbelief.

The group nodded. "We don't apparate that much except for Percy and Nico, so we came here on Leo's ship."

" _Supreme Captain_ Leo, I think is what you were going to say. I know I am a humble man, so thank you for not mentioning it, Hazel." said Leo, puffing out his chest.

His effort to look heroic was amusing and Hermione couldn't hold back her snicker.

"That should be fine dears, as long as you're safe."

The two nodded. Percy looked at Annabeth quickly and an unspoken message was passed.

"Do you happen to have some water I could borrow?" asked Percy.

Hermione handed him a fresh glass of water which he took thankfully and poured it on the floor. The two stepped into the puddle, before Percy saluted and promptly sank.

The wizards gaped at the now dry floor, which had been sucked dry as if the water had gone with them.

"Cool." said Fred, looking at his twin.

"Very good for quick escapes." nodding at his brother vigorously.

"Boys! I will not have you exploiting our guests for your own mischievous motives!" admonished Mrs Weasley, a stern look in her face.

The two shrugged and walked down the hallway, conversing seriously about what Hermione expected their new prank. The rest of the adults walked out of the room, no doubt to prepare the living room for the newcomers.

Hermione turned back to the Americans. "How did they do that? I've never heard of magic like that."

Piper shook her head with a sad smile on her face, "I think you'll find the majority of us have weird abilities. It's one of the reasons we're still alive; without them, you're toast."

"It's survival of the fittest." stated Hazel, the youngest looking of them.

"Do you all have powers, then?"

Leo thrust out his hand dramatically and burst his palm into flames, making the trio jump back.

"Leo, put it out!" scolded Piper.

He sadly withdrew his hand and put out the fire.

"How-" said Harry, astonishment on his face.

Piper waved her hand, "We'll explain more in the morning, but jet-lag is a pain in the neck. Tomorrow you guys can fill us in. Molly, Arthur, Remus, Sirius and Bill told us some things but I hear that you three were in the middle of it." she winked.

The trio nodded their heads and watched the group troop out to follow the adults.

Hermione turned to the boys.

"So?"

Ron looked shocked. "What are you asking me for? You're the intuitive one."

Hermione sighed and turned to Harry.

He shrugged, "I think they're really powerful; they could've been really useful in the war, but..."

"They were fighting their own war." finished Ron.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I've never seen or heard of magic like that before, I mean, pyrokinesis..."

"Come again?"

Hermione replied to Ron's bewilderment. "Pyrokinesis is the power of fire: what Leo did."

"Ohhhh... that kid didn't look to stable to me." said Ron, looking glumly at the table.

Harry grinned at his antics. "I don't know, Ron. He just looked a little hyper to me... did you see that chicken he made?"

"He probably charmed it to be alive... this house is fairly magical so it would interfere with the mechanics if it were muggle-made." assessed Hermione, darting intently at the spot on the table where a few dents had been left by the pecking bird.

"Was it just me or were they all... beautiful?" questioned Harry.

Ron stared at him, "You've got a girlfriend, mate."

Harry rolled his eyes. "So have you."

Hermione blushed.

"And?" he responded, his face aloof. Her face fell slightly.

"'Are you a Veela'?" imitated Harry, holding his hands up.

"What!" insisted Ron, defensively. "I don't sound like that!"

"Avoiding the question."

"Well... come on. It's not like they're ugly."

"You're right." inputted Hermione.

Both boys stared at her. "What?"

"You're right." she repeated. "They were all beautiful. I've always thought that the more powerful you are the more aesthetically pleasing your appearance is... they did have a certain power about them..."

"What about Dumbledore, then. He wasn't exactly a looker."

Hermione looked at Ron. "Do you really expect a century old plus, wrinkly old man to be handsome? No offence."

He grumbled.

And then yawned. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm stuffed. You coming to bed, Harry?"

Harry nodded and the two trotted up the stairs. Hermione went to go and help extend the living room; five people strewn across the room was still a tight fit.

She walked in to find all the adults gone and a now slightly bigger living room with all the demigods heaped in a pile in the middle. She smiled.

They were nothing if not united.


	11. Chapter 11

**Freakiness And Powers**

Annabeth's POV

I swayed slightly as we rose from the new puddle on the Argo II deck.

"Ripple."

Percy looked at me confusedly. "What?"

"That's what you should call... it, this." I responded, gesturing to the puddle we were still standing in.

"Ripple..." he mused, his face thoughtful. "I hadn't even thought of naming it."

I rolled my eyes. "So?"

He nodded. "That actually sounds better than anything I'm thinking of now... _sinking_ doesn't sound so good."

I snorted. "Of course mine is better." I said, puffing out my chest.

He grinned at my antics.

We made our way over to the hatch where we could descend onto the lower decks, after Percy had chucked the puddle over the edge onto an innocent bystander in the crowded streets below.

Or bystan _ders._ It was a rather loud indignant cry for a thousand feet up.

I walked into our cabin first, thankful that Percy didn't have much in his cabin to begin with. Too much stuff would be distracting. It was a tight fit, with this room being my old one (it was furthest from the toilets, much to Leo's delight) and it now inhabited a double bed. Percy's old room had been converted to a spare armoury.

I supposed we wouldn't need it now because I could simply generate more weapons with my power.

"What do we call mine?" I pondered out loud, walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I hadn't eaten but should be starving from running from the telkhines, but I couldn't muster the will to get food.

"Yours? You mean your power?"

I nodded, making eye contact with him in the mirror. He was fiddling with Riptide, twirling the pen between his fingers as he sat on he edge of the bed, yawning.

"I don't know... 'knife-generator' doesn't exactly sound the best."

I almost spat out the toothpaste.

"N'f gn-n-t-re?" I managed.

"Yeah... neither does 'point'..."

I furrowed my eyes in confusion. He saw my expression in the mirror. "Y'know, like a knife point, arrow point."

I rolled my eyes.

He was silent while I finished up in the bathroom. I emerged to find him dressed in his Nemo pajama bottoms, laying with his arms splayed on the bed.

I payed down next to him when he blurted, "You could do it in Greek."

"You could call it ' _endeix'."_

I looked at him incredulously. "You want me to call a power that summons incredibly dangerous and foreboding weaponry ' _pointy_ ', in Greek?"

He looked at me and nodded vigorously.

"I accepted ripple, so you've got to use _endeixing."_

I was too tired I complain and simply let my head drop back on the pillow.

"You could've come up with something better." I mumbled.

But he was already asleep.

.o.O.0.O.o.

Narrator's POV

( **PS: Usually when I use 'Narrator's POV', it will be from the HP characters view and not everyone. I will point out if it is for everyone).**

That morning, Ron was the first Weasley awake. He almost fell out of bed when he saw the clock tell him that it was _6:30._

Usually, he would just go back to sleep, only to rise at noon, but he had an itching feeling.

He could not stay still, and he resorted to drawing nonexistent pictures on the wall and smoothing the duvet over his body, attempting to get it crease free.

His mind lay bored for what seemed hours and hours and he tried to avoid looking at the clock, because he knew that he would just stare at it.

He looked at the clock. _6:35._

Ron wasn't having any more of it. He dragged on his sweater and walked out of the room, stifling coughs at the dust plumes that rose from the banisters.

Ron walked into the kitchen to find Percy, Annabeth and Hermione talking quietly at one end of the table.

"Mornin'." he grunted and they nodded at him. Ron sat at the table next to Hermione.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

Hermione pursed her lips at his short replies and brightly said, "I was just filling in these two on things they ought to know."

"Sounds like you three have had quite the adventures." commented Annabeth, a polite smile on her face.

"Where have you guys gotten up to? Maybe I can help." offered Ron, a helpful expression on his face.

"No it's fine, I've just finished telling them about the war."

Ron nodded sombrely. "So what about you two? Pure bloods, or muggle-borns?"

Percy grimaced, "Neither actually, we're half-bloods." A small smile flickered across his face.

Ron nodded. "So you two grew up with wizards?"

"Nah, witches and wizards don't usually live to adulthood and our magical parents died. They have children very young."

Hermione frowned next to Ron.

"We weren't told about magic until scouts found us." explained Annabeth. "If you know about magic and you live with muggles, then the monsters find you quicker. So you have to leave off telling people who they really are until it's really necessary."

"So when were you two told?" asked Ron, taking a sip of Hermione's coffee. She stared offensively at the now half empty cup.

"Well, I was told when I was twelve because I was being chased by a Minotaur, and Annabeth ran away from home at seven because of spiders."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and smacked him half-heartedly. "They were really bad spiders." she defended. She turned back to Ron and looked him in the eye before adding, "Like tow-truck spiders with teeth."

"I would run away from home because of spiders." agreed Ron, a reminiscent look on his face.

"Oh yeah, Hermione told us about Aragog. That was in your... second year?" asked Percy, an unsure look on his face. Annabeth shuddered.

Hermione nodded. "The same year Harry and Ron drove to Hogwarts."

Percy whistled. "It sure sounds like you three aren't really ones for the mundane, huh?"

Ron chuckled. "Yeah, not really."

All heads turned to the door when the rest of the Americans trooped in.

"Sleep alright, you lot? That heap didn't look to comfy." noted Hermione.

Piper looked at her sorely, stretching her shoulder. "It really wasn't, but it should go. A bit of exercise should do it."

Leo looked up excitedly. "Can I have some coffee?"

"No, Leo." said Jason sternly, pouring himself a cup. He turned to Ron. "Never give him coffee. He's too hyper anyway."

Leo frowned, before turning his attention.

"Did you two lovebirds destroy the ship?" He said with a sly grin.

"Only a little." teased Annabeth and Percy gaped at her.

"I never knew you had it in you, Wise Girl."

"What can I say, I'm full of surprises."

Ron watched amusedly as Leo began to retch and Frank and Hazel blushed.

"We have to move it somewhere safe. It can't just sit above London." stated Annabeth professionally. She turned to Hermione, "Do you guys have something like a field, or just a really big space that we can use?"

"And she means really _really_ big." added Frank.

"Well, there's the Burrow... the Order helped rebuild it but it still needs furnishing so..."

"Burrow?" asked Jason.

"Order?" questioned Hazel.

"The Burrow is where we used to live but it was destroyed at the beginning of the war." explained Ron, elated at the fact that he had something useful to offer.

"And the Order of the Phoenix was made by Dumbledore during the beginning of Voldemort's rise. It was designed to oppose him and the Death Eaters."

Jason and Leo smirked at each other.

"Really?" said Hazel, exasperated. "You two need to grow up."

"But, Hazel!" defended Leo. "How bad would _eating death_ be?"

Annabeth frowned at them. "It's a metaphor and not literal."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with her. She liked this girl's reasoning.

Ron turned to her. "They're not wrong, 'Mione."

She narrowed her eyes at him disapprovingly while he shrugged.

The teenagers proceeded to have breakfast while Hermione, Percy and Annabeth restored the living room.

"Shall we go?" asked Frank.

Annabeth nodded. "Percy can you do the honours? I don't particularly want to be accosted by monsters or climb a thousand feet high rope ladder."

Piper nodded with her. "These thighs can only take so much." she said, sorrowfully tapping her lap.

"Can we come?" asked Hermione, standing next to him. Percy looked unsure.

"I've never transported so many people... if you don't mind being my trail run?"

"Great!"

Ron's brows furrowed. "Wait.."

Hermione looked at him, "Come on, don't be a wimp."

"I'm not a wimp! Just being... overly cautious." he protested, his eyes slightly pleading.

Hermione pursed her lips in amusement.

The Americans all stood close together, holding hands and wearing bemused faces.

"Come on, you've splinched before, and I've got Essence of Dittany; you'll be fine." assured Hermione.

"Doesn't mean that it felt alright. Bloody hurt like hell."

Percy and Annabeth hummed in agreement, making Ron wonder if they had splinched before as well. But before he could ask, Hermione's face caught his eye.

"Fine." relented Ron. Hermione smiled happily at him, making a small part of him elated as she toon his hand. Water was already on the floor and it seemed to spread under and around everyone's feet, connecting them, but Ron didn't feel his feet get wet.

These Americans had weird magic.

Hermione saved him the awkwardness of holding hands with the huge and muscle-y Frank who did not look delighted at the prospect either and held hands with Jason. But he still wasn't too happy at that.

"Ready?" asked Percy, and we all nodded. Ron began to sink into the floor, as if jumping into a pool and he felt his legs become compressed.

He closed his eyes tightly and gripped Hermione's hand till the tight feeling gradually left and he found himself standing in the deck of a large warship.

"That's better than dissaparation." was the first thing out of his mouth.

"This is amazing." said Hermione, releasing his hand to step forward in wonder, drinking in the ship.

Ron turned around and looked over the edge while the Americans dispersed, swallowing slightly as he saw the drop.

"Hey! It's the road that we apparated into the middle of!" he exclaimed, squinting at the ground.

 **(Cookies to those who can guess what he's talking about!)**

"Mmmhhhmmmm." came Hermione's slightly unresponsive reply, and Ron turned around to see what was stopping the words coming out of his extremely articulate girlfriend's mouth.

"Woah."

His eyes followed Jason flying up the mast to land on the platform fifty or so feet up.

He saw Annabeth bemusedly observe their shocked expressions, her hip cocked and her arms crossed.

"That shouldn't be possible..." he heard Hermione murmur.

"Let's just call it survival of the fittest." she stated, grinning at them as they stared unbelievably at Percy stand in the middle of mayhem with his eyes shut and hands splayed to the sides, ropes swinging round and tying knots themselves, flags unfurling and the wheel spinning.

Hermione seemed lost for words so Ron asked for her.

"What can you lot _do?"_

She walked over and stood beside them, observing the chaos. Annabeth gestured to Leo who was holding a so-hot-it-was-yellow sword with his bare hands, seeming to be getting out a dent of some sort. "Well, Leo can do pyrokinesis, as you can probably remember from yesterday."

Ron glanced at her before confirming, "Fire, right?"

Annabeth smiled and nodded. Hermione nudged him and he suppressed a smirk at stealing her knowledge.

Annabeth then pointed at Piper. "Piper is an empath, and she can read emotions and power signatures-"

"What are power signatures?"

"They're a unique reading of you. Like a little note of your... presence." inputted Hermione.

Annabeth nodded again, "Yes that, although they also give an impression of how much power you hold."

"Anyway, Piper can see those and influence them, as well as convincing you to do whatever she tells you."

Ron's eyes widened. "Mind-control? Like the _Imperious Curse_?"

"That's an _Unforgivable._ Isn't that illegal?" questioned Hermione, sounding concerned and looking warily at Piper. She had thought the girl to be sweet with a good sense of humour; like Percy, but not like Leo's madness.

"It's not, per say. She doesn't use the incantation or her wand, it's simply magic woven into her voice that compels the listeners to comply."

Hermione didn't seem to waver her expression, leading Annabeth to try and soothe her more.

"We never use it for selfish purposes-"

"Although she did steal a car once." interrupted Leo, walking past from sticking the sword in a bucket of water to cool it.

"She was young, Leo. She couldn't control it then; give it a rest." scolded Annabeth, while Piper scowled at him from her seat.

"Anyway, we only use it if we have to; her charmspeak has saved our lives more than once, and she was probably the second biggest factor of winning the war."

Hermione nodded, deciding that she would determine whether or not she trusted or not later. She saw Piper as a good person so far, but it never hurt to be safe.

"Next, we have Frank." continued Annabeth, gesturing to Frank and Hazel who were stood to the side and talking quietly while looking over the edge.

"Frank's a... metamorphmagi."

Hermione nodded, although a tiny detail bugged her.

"But he transformed into a full bear. Normal metamorphmagi can't do complete animal transformation, only little bits."

Annabeth nodded and looked back at the couple. "That's something that we don't know... for some reason, he can't change his physical features like his hair colour or the size of his nose, but he can turn into pretty much any animal."

Hermione seemed to be satisfied with her answer. "Maybe it's hereditary?"

"Probably..." agreed Annabeth. "All of us our half-bloods and we don't know our magical parents, so it's highly likely."

Ron whistled. "All of you?"

Annabeth nodded, a wistful look on her face. Ron decided it best not to bring it up.

"Then we have Hazel; she has Geokinesis and Ferrokinesis."

Annabeth paused to let the information to sink in, seeing if they knew what they were.

Ron looked helplessly at Hermione.

"Geokinesis is the manipulation of earth... and ferrokinesis is the manipulation of precious metal."

Annabeth nodded, pleased at Hermione's knowledge. "Although you could say that her Geokinesis is limited. She can't lift chunks of rock with her mind or stuff like that, but she had perfect bearings underground and she can sort of create tunnels and things similar to that."

Ron nodded.

"She also has increased power over something we use quite often in the States. She uses the Mist, which allows you to manipulate what people see; like an illusionist."

Ron and Hermione were both lost for words. These people were so talented and they hadn't even gone through all of them yet!

"Why do you use it often?" questioned Ron. "I mean, isn't it cruel to have someone to just think that their eyes are telling them the truth?"

"Oh, we don't use it like that. We use it on muggles, so they don't see us. We leave the camps because of prophecies, and when we do we get chased by monsters as we've left the camp boundaries. We can't have muggles seeing us or the magical creatures, so the mist warps what they see into something believable."

Annabeth lept straight into the next description, not leaving anytime for the two to catch up.

"Next, we have Jason." said Annabeth, moving on and tilting her head backwards to see the boy in question. He was walking around the little platform at the top of the mast, looking out across the landscape.

Ron vaguely became aware that they were moving.

Leo bounded up and looks at the two. "Where is this Burrow? I need to plot the coordinates."

Ron looked at him blankly.

"Give him the paper, Ron." encouraged Hermione, before turning back to Leo. "And I think the coordinates are fifty six degrees north, four degrees west."

Leo nodded and ran off.

"How the bloody hell do you know the coordinates for the Burrow? It's in the middle of nowhere!" he asked incredulously.

"I know lots of things, Ronald." came her reply, leading him to grumble.

"Go on." said Hermione, eager to know more.

"Well, Jason can fly through control of the wind, and he can shoot lightning."

"Merlin's beard." muttered Ron. " _Lightning_?!"

Annabeth lifted her shoulders slightly before dropping them, "Well, proper lightning bolts take a lot out of him, as well as storms because their slightly out of his range, but small ones like really strong electric shocks and sometimes a bit bigger."

Percy came up beside Annabeth. "His sister has the same thing and I swear they make it their life's mission to shock me as much as they can."

True to his word, a tiny lightning bolt came down from the cloudy heavens and struck Percy, who merely flinched a little and widened his eyes.

"Love you too, Jace!" he yelled up, his voice strained.

"That's more like it." came a distant voice, although Hermione didn't see him turn around. Ron chuckled.

"That leaves Percy and I." stated Annabeth. A small grin crept onto her face as she continued and Percy looked at her intently.

"Percy, here, is our resident Sea Freak."

He groaned. "Another one?! I thought you and Thalia had them all." grumbled Percy.

"I try my best, Seaweed Brain."

His grimace twisted into a grin as his brief annoyance left him.

He smiled at her, "I expect nothing less, Wise Girl."

She smiled back, a blush forming on her cheeks.

Ron and Hermione stood uncomfortably in silence while the two stared into each other's eyes, both remarkably striking and bright.

Annabeth's were like molten silver, seeming like they would emit a glow even in darkness, while Percy's looked as if they could do the same, and like an artists paint pallete filled with hues of green and royal blue.

Hermione softly wished for her and Ron to have that kind of relationship, but it seemed that she could only coax out his overly affectionate side when in death-defying situations.

The two suddenly broke out of heir reverie and Annabeth turned back to the two.

"Yes, Percy is- _has_ water powers; hydrokinesis, can generate storms, hurricanes, make a boat sail and get ready, like you saw, is almost fireproof, and can create earthquakes and eruptions to a small degree."

Annabeth paused, thinking.

"Oh, and don't forget that he is a water sat-nav, and telikinetic."

Hermione let out a long breath.

"That's a lot of power."

Percy grimaced. "Yeah, I'm unlucky that way."

She let out a small laugh.

"So what can you do?" she asked, turning her head to Annabeth.

Percy's face lit up. He clamped a hand over Annabeth's mouth, leading her to roll her eyes and slump, crossing her arms.

"Annabeth is... wait for it... wait for it... super smart!"

Silence.

"Okay..."

Percy shook his head, "No, like I mean it; it's one of her superpowers. She's got like super brainy-ness and an IQ that's better than Einstein."

Annabeth bit Percy's hand and he yelped, bringing his hand close to his face for inspection while throwing dirty glares at his girlfriend.

"So does Leo, Seaweed Brain."

She shook her head. "Ignore him. I do have above average brain-power," she looked pointedly at Percy. "but some people would hardly call that a superpower."

"I have a... limited form of telepathy. Don't worry! I'm not going to go peeking in your heads or anything." she rushed out, her eyes widening at the slight looks of alarm on Ron and Hermione's faces.

"It takes a lot of concentration." she admitted, "and time. Besides, you'd know if I was in your head."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"And I can summon weaponry. Knives, bows, arrows, spears, the works." She summed up. Annabeth smiled at the two, before the silence was interrupted by Jason's shout.

"Griffons, incoming! Leo, _get this ship moving!"_

 **Sorry this was a filler chapter! Idk what's coming next because I'm making this as I'm going along.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Frank Loses More Laundry**

Narrator's POV

 **Hermione was vaguely alarmed at the prospect of being attacked by griffons.** However she was strangely excited at the idea, eager for both a learning opportunity and the rush of adrenaline. She had never let anyone know that she found the time Mr Flich's cat had caught them on the second floor exciting, or that when she had almost been mauled by Professor Lupin in the Forbidden Forest, she had been left with an irremovable grin that didn't leave her face for an hour.

So when Jason yelled the warning, she had remained completely still, not saying a word except pasting a mildly worried expression on her face and gripping her wand in her hand.

Beside Hermione, Ron had become the complete opposite, his face had gone ashen and he had taken to observing the skies, wildly spinning around as he searched for the winged cats.

"What's a griffon, 'Mione?" he asked breathlessly, tiring himself from his vigorous spinning.

"It's, uh, an animal native to greece, has the front legs, wings and head of a giant eagle, and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion."

"Bloody hell, that's a lot of animal."

"And a whole lot of claws, mind you" inputted Hazel, casually leaning on a particularly long looking sword.

"Are you sure they're not hostile?" questioned Hermione. She was excited for a the seeming incoming fight, but she didn't want to injure a beautiful creature like that. Hagrid had rubbed off on the three of them.

Frank nodded as he let Percy and Annabeth dashed below deck. "If any creature comes for us, ninety nine percent of the time, it's offensive."

"But sometimes they jazz it up a little by trying to disguise themselves." added Hazel.

"Is that a Spatha?" blurted out Hermione, unable to not ask.

"Yes, it is." replied Hazel, smiling at her after looking down at her long weapon. "Not many people use them since they're supposed to be used by cavalry, but I do have a horse so it's not all bad."

"She's breaking the rules!" yelled Leo from the wheel, looking like he was conversing with the bronze dragon figurehead.

"Only a little bit." reasoned Frank beside her, looking as if he were deciding whether or not to take a bath.

"Why only a little bit? Either you're breaking the rules or not." asked Hermione, stating her opinions quite a matter of factly as she looked in between the two.

"Well, in one of our camps, we have a lot of order;" explained Hazel. "When you first come in you're out on probation till you're vouched for by someone, and then you work your way up the ranks - like an army, say. But only the leaders are allowed horses, so the idea of me having a sword designed for cavalry is very optimistic."

She turned to Frank beside her, "Frank here is one of the leaders."

Hermione could see why; he was lathered in muscles and wasn't lacking at all in the hight and intimidation department. He had an aura of superiority and friendliness at the same time, although a little bit of shyness, so Hermione thought that he was relatively new to the job.

"And you have a horse." reminded Frank.

She shrugged, a small grin on her face.

"Five football fields!" yelled Jason, peering into the distance from the mast.

"Leo!" yelled Annabeth, bursting back onto deck. "Activate plan fifteen!"

"What? What's plan fifteen?" asked Ron, his nerves getting caught up in the rush before the fight.

"Look over the edge." advised Percy, gesturing to the starboard side.

Hermione and Ron dashed to the edge after watching Leo clutch a Wii remote in his hands and point it at the floorboards.

To her amazement, large oars poked their way out of the side of the hull, before they turned into lethal looking gold spikes.

"Do they eject?" asked Hermione as she turned away from the dizzying view of the English coastline. She was surprised that they had left London so fast.

Annabeth nodded.

"What happens if they fall to the ground? Couldn't they, I don't know, _stab someone?_ " asked Ron incredulously.

"That's why we're over the sea, as an added precaution. And sometimes if we're lucky, they come back."

"Two football fields!" yelled Jason, this time flying down to join everyone else. Leo raced over.

"You need to apologise to Festus, Sparky." informed Leo, looking at Jason seriously.

"What? Why?"

"You saw the Griffons before he sensed them."

Jason nodded his head slowly, "Okay, I'll do it afterwards."

"Who'se Festus?" asked Hermione.

Everyone turned and looked at the Bronze dragon figurehead.

"You named the dragon head?" asked Ron, looking at the Americans as if they were slightly crazy.

Leo nodded. "Festus means happy in Latin."

 _Happy the Dragon,_ thought Ron.

And then he saw a Griffon.

Frank held up a bow that he was holding, and Annabeth drew back the string of one that Hermione could have sworn wasn't there beforehand.

They released in synch, both flying into the side of the huge creature, causing it to yelp in pain. It shook off the two arrows, something like glitter seeming to pour out of the wound.

"Leo! Drive the ship!" yelled Percy, holding a sword in his hands. Leo ran off.

Suddenly, the Griffon let out a screech and shook violently, letting out hundreds of feathers that came shooting towards the ship. Hermione saw three bounce off Annabeth and Percy, who bent down and inspected them.

"They're imp- gold!" exclaimed Percy.

Jason was pulling a sharp feather out of his arm, a small trickle of blood making it's way down his arm.

 _Why did it bounce off Percy and Annabeth and not Jason?_

Hermione stored that away for later as Jason spoke.

"Hey, camp has Griffon's with feathers dipped in gold! I don't think anywhere else has them!"

"So why are they here?" said Piper, asking the question everyone was thinking.

"I don't think that that's relevant now." said Ron, staring at the sky. "There's three more."

True to his word, four were now in the sky.

"Jason, Frank! Go up there! We'll hold the ship." instructed Annabeth.

They both nodded, and Jason shot off while Frank transformed into a Griffon himself. He was a dark brown though, so Hermione wasn't worried that someone would mistake him for an enemy one.

They took to the sky's, Jason diving at one with his sword while Frank raced towards one with his claws extended. Screeches filled the air as they began to battle.

Another one swooped closer, ruffling the hair on Hermione's head, and she decided to take action.

" _Stupefy!"_ she cried as it shot over the ship, hitting it squarely in the stomach. It dropped out of the air and landed with a thump on the deck.

"Nice shot." complimented Piper, looking at Hermione appreciatively.

But then the animal stirred and rose to its feet, snarling at the group.

"That shouldn't happen..." noted Ron, growing at the creature.

"It is a magical creature though, so maybe spells affect it differently?" offered Hermione, staring slightly worriedly at the close proximity to the creature.

It lashed out a claw and Percy met it with his sword, leaning back under the weight. It started to shake again, and Hermione rushed over to the Americans.

" _Protego Maxima!"_ exclaimed Hermione and Ron, and the pointy feathers bouncing off the spell harmlessly.

Hermione watched as Percy battled the Griffon effortlessly, anticipating every move and meeting it squarely, his sword a blur as he fought. It pecked and slashed at him, somehow contorting it's beak into a snarl and pinning him with beady red eyes.

Piper snatched up Annabeth's discarded bow and began to target the extra griffon. It was circling up ahead, as if looking for something on the ship.

"I can't reach it with arrows." said Piper, lowering her bow. "Maybe you two can hit it with spells?"

Ron nodded. They lifted their wands.

" _Diffindo!"_

 _"Reducto!"_

Hermione's disintegration spell hit the Griffon head on, and the animal suffered many cuts from which glitter began to fall. However, Ron's spell hit the mast that the Griffon had quickly darted behind and snapped the top off.

"Hey! Stop hurting my ship!" yelled Leo indignantly from the wheel.

Annabeth visibly stilled beside Hermione, and she looked at the girl. Her eyes were closed but it seemed like she was searching for something.

"Eggs! They're looking for their eggs!" she then exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" yelled back Percy as he rolled under the fearsome creatures legs. "Because I'm pretty sure this one is male!"

It went to snap at his head as he rolled, but Hazel shoved her spatha into its flank, causing it to rear its head back in pain.

" _Stop!" c_ ommanded Piper, and Hermione suddenly felt like she wanted to freeze, lay down and do nothing for the rest of her life.

"Blimey." muttered Ron next to her, rubbing his temple. "They weren't kidding when they said that she could make you do anything."

" _Your eggs aren't here, go home to camp - there's nothing for you here._ "

The Griffon straightened, the snarl falling of its face as it extended its wings. They all took a step back as it launched itself into the air, forgetting the protection spell around them.

"One down, three to go." said Percy, panting on the floor.

Annabeth suddenly burst from the stairs leading below deck, holding a big basket of laundry.

"Hazel, can you use the mist to disguise them? As eggs?" she blurted out, her expression hopeful.

Hazel nodded, her face becoming hard. She took the laundry and walked to the edge while Piper yelled up to Frank and Jason.

"See if you can steer them over here! We have a way to get rid of them!"

Both boys gave no visible reply but their battles started to move over to Hazel, who promptly threw the laundry over the edge. A large zap went through the air as Jason shocked his opponent into moving.

Hermione rushed to the edge to see the laundry fall and miraculously turn into a huge egg. She blinked.

The Griffon circling up ahead squawked and dived, racing after it. The other two joined in the race for the egg and flew away from Frank and Jason, leaving them floating in the air.

Eventually the Griffons flew out of sight and Jason and Frank landed on the deck. Jason wobbled as if he had been hit with the jelly-legs curse, and fell to the wooden deck with a thump. Piper rushed forward and cradled his head.

"Jeez man, what is with you and hitting your head?" asked Leo, staring at him with his head tilted like a dog.

But he got no reply as Jason was out cold.

"Is he going to be okay?!" asked Ron, sounding very worried at his newfound friends lack of consciousness.

"He'll live. He's had a brick thrown at his head and he's still here." stated Percy, nonchalantly.

"Unfortunately." muttered Leo, and everyone burst out laughing.

Percy helped Piper carry Jason down to the infirmary telekinetically, and Hermione was shocked to hear that the ship had so many floors.

Annabeth told her that there was a huge floor for the mess hall and living room, a whole floor for dormitories, a whole floor for _stables_ and spare things and a floor for training and practicing.

Hermione surveyed the small groups that they had split into and saw that Hazel was comforting a broody looking Frank.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned for him. Had he been hurt?

It seemed like everyone else thought the same as their conversations ceased as they all peered at Frank.

"You threw out my laundry again; I've only got the jeans I'm wearing and one other shirt." he said miserably, staring at the ground.

" _Again?_ Are you saying that your laundry has been used as distractions in _more_ life-threatening situations?" asked Ron, bewildered and staring at all the Americans apprehensively.

Everyone nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry's POV

" **Dolohov**!"

Sirius beamed at Harry, his expression stretched amusedly for a change.

"We got him! In Azkaban!"

"What? That's great!" congratulated Harry, elated that they were making progress. Sirius turned and promptly walked out the kitchen, humming merrily like a madman, and then continuing up the stairs after clapping Harry on the shoulders.

"Where are you going?" yelled Harry after him, confused as to the short greeting.

"I still do have to take care of that Hippogriff!" he reminded, gently chiding Harry for forgetting. Harry felt slightly ashamed that he hadn't thought about or even visited the friendly beast and promised himself that he would at another time.

Ever since the last morning at Hogwarts, the rest of the Order, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione now of course, had been rounding up the remnants of the Death Eaters.

They had been causing terror among wizards and muggles alike that Voldemort had risen again, and even organised themselves to plague Great Britain with many green dark marks lighting up the night on the anniversary of his death.

It was a lot of work for the ministry to cover up, to say the least.

Upon their admission to the Order, Harry had thought that they would receive a brand on their bodies, much like the ones Death Eaters had. He was extremely relived that all he had to do was scratch a mark on Dumbledore's desk table.

He had woken up this morning to find the house empty, save for Kreacher, with whom he still had sort of truce and made him breakfast.

Sirius, Fleur, Charlie and Bill had returned from their successful expedition, and the two latter were now animatedly describing their adventure to Fred and George, which Harry now had discovered to be hiding upstairs in the attic with a _muffliato_ charm.

He rather wished that they hadn't as he had done enough cleaning to make Mrs Weasley and her obsession for immaculate-ness proud.

The first floor was now pristine, all tatters in Sirius' family tree room fixed and the scorch mark covering his godfather's face somewhat alleviated.

Bellatrix's face was now covered up by a nice, ping-pong sized hole in the wall.

Another drawing room filled with china was now excavated due to one too many violent tea pieces throwing themselves at him, and now simply was a wallpaper-stripped room with empty wooden cabinets.

All in all, Harry was exhausted and entirely clueless as to where Hermione and Ron had gotten too. He had puzzled over why Hermione hadn't left a note, or Ron woke him up and told him to go with them.

As if on cue, the two missing people tumbled into existence and crashed into the wooden table as six more people apparated behind them.

They all gasped for breath and Hazel ducked behind the doorway to throw up, sickening sounds muffled by the wall.

"Where have you lot been?" asked Fred, looking curiously at the group. "We haven't seen or heard you lot all day!" finished George, a matching look of interest in his face.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too." Inputted Harry, trying not to be slightly pissed of at the fact that he had been ditched.

"I'm sorry, Harry." rushed Hermione, still massaging her hip from where she had crashed into the table. "You weren't awake and I didn't want to wake you up, and the Americans needed to move their ship." she gestured to the Americans huddled behind her, crowding round a sick Hazel. "Both Ron and I wanted to see it; it didn't even cross my mind to tell you!"

"We moved it from above London to the field next to the Burrow." Frank finished, rubbing circles soothingly on Hazels back.

"You should see it, mate." said Ron, grinning madly at him. "It's amazing and it _floats."_

Fred and George looked oddly at their little brother. "That's what boats are supposed to do, Ron." George deadpanned.

Ron made a face. "In midair! You know what I mean."

Hermione sighed and gave Ron a look. "It's just a levitation charm, Ronald."

He shrugged.

"Hey, it's not just a levitation charm! It's an amazing Leo charm!" exclaimed Leo from the group huddle.

Hermione smiled forcefully at him and Harry could just imagine what was going through her mind at Leo's immaturity. It was infectious however, and Harry found himself grinning at his antics.

Hazel now seemed better and Hermione lifted her wand and said, " _Scourgify!"_ making the contents of the poor girls bowel disappear from the umbrella stand.

"Don't worry, it happens to everyone at first." she reassured, giving Hazel a sympathetic look.

Harry's brief anger now gone, he realised something else. The Americans now started to seat themselves on the table alongside the elder Weasley brothers and the trio also made themselves sit down.

"Where's Mrs Weasley? And Mr Weasley?" asked Harry, looking at Hermione.

"Oh, she was invited to the Ministry with Mr Weasley; something about a conference?" she offered, though Harry could tell she had been dying for more information.

"Oh, the house was awfully quiet today. I wondered why she had gone.." trailed off Harry in response, to which Fred and George looked at him as if a gargoyle had landed on his head.

"The house has been blissfully quiet! God knows what mum would have done if she saw our room." said George, while Fred nodded vigorously at him.

"What have you two been doing again? This isn't your house; you can't ruin it!" exclaimed Hermione, pursing her lips at them.

Fred waved her concern down, "Sirius said it was fine - he even gave us some of his old pranking ingredients from the old days!" -Hermione frowned even further- "You lot don't know how priceless cursed broomstick dust is in the joke industry!"

"Amazing for Spastic Gum... the store will be sold out." added George absentmindedly.

"Store?"

Everyone looked at Annabeth who was looking confusedly at the wizards.

"The twins have a joke shop in Diagon Alley; amazing stuff in there, Skiving Snackboxes; great for getting you out of class..." explained Ron, a dreamy expression on his face when he mentioned the get-out-of-class-for-free tickets.

"A joke shop?!" asked Leo, his face almost as bright as a lightbulb. Piper rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm.

"In Diagonally Road or whatever? That's wizard grand central, right?" he burst, his eyes wide with anticipation.

"It's Diagon Alley." corrected Frank, looking apprehensively at Leo, as if he were about to burst.

"Don't call it Diagonally." warned Harry, his voice foreboding. "Bad things happen if you call it that."

The Americans gave him weird looks while Hermione smiled weakly and Ron chuckled.

"Okay... Anyway, can we come see it when we go? We have to at some wizarding stuff don't we?" asked Leo excitedly.

Jason nodded. "We'll be pretty useless if we don't."

Annabeth's face became sharp with attention, her demeanour changing to professional immediately.

"I'd like to get an owl-" Percy's face became ashen. "And we all need wands..."

"Wait a second, you lot don't have wands?!" exclaimed Harry, his face incredulous. Despite being raised by his muggle uncle and aunt, he couldn't imagine life without his wand - it was the most essential thing in the world of magic!

Annabeth blinked at him before Piper answered his question.

"Uh, no we don't." she grimaced. "There's limited resources back in the States - we all know the theory and sometimes you get to practice on a few wands, but we only have a few from some older witches and wizarding families who have passed them down."

Hazel nodded at her while Annabeth gave Piper a small smile.

"We're back!" came the merry voice of Mr Weasley.

"How's was the conference?" yelled back Bill, his arm over Fleur's shoulders.

"It went quite well, actually." said Mrs Weasley, sounding pleased while she pottered around the doorway and coat stand. "Turns out that Yaxley wasn't acquitted all for nothing."

"What? What happened?" asked Ron, slightly alarmed.

Charlie grinned at him from the end of the table. "Planning on executing revenge for your wife's honour, Ronnie?"

Ron gave him the stink eye while he pulled Hermione to his side, who was trying to stifle a smile. "Where's your girlfriend, Charlie? Hmm?"

Charlie didn't get a chance to reply before Mrs Weasley emerged in the doorway with a firm frown, looking straight at the two brothers.

"Wife? You're not married are you, Ron?" questioned Percy, looking disbelievingly at Ron.

"It's a long story." assured Harry, a smirk on his lips. "Don't worry we'll all tell you later."

"Whose Yaxley?" asked Annabeth, looking confused.

"He was a supporter of You-Know-Who and worked in the ministry. Unpleasant man, to say the least..." responded Mr Weasley, walking around the corner with his eyes locked on the worn kettle.

"I think unpleasant is an understatement." said Fleur, putting in her two cents. Her English was certainly becoming better and her accent wasn't interfering with her speech as much. She seemed very proud to have managed such a long word.

"And? What happened to him?" asked Hermione, diverting back to the original question.

"He was demoted." said Mr Weasley, turning back to the table with a gleam in his eye. "To Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office, and is on probation."

"Wait, that means you're his superior!" exclaimed Hermione.

Mr Weasley grinned at her in a rather immature manner.

"Well, the can't be all that happened;" pointed out Harry, still intrigued as to why Mrs Weasley has gone.

"Well, dear. They hadn't only invited me, Mrs Malfoy was there - yes I know, Ron - and the Finnigans, I think there was a muggle couple... Creepy, Greedy, something like that..."

"Creevey, Molly." supplied Mr Weasley.

She smiled at him, "Yes, Creevey. The Thomas' were there - lovely people, they are-"

"We get it, Mum. What happened?" said Ron tiredly, re-emphasising the question.

"Right, yes." she got back on track. "They proposed the idea that now Hogwarts is now completely furnished and the large majority of Death Eaters in Azkaban, they'll reopen! They wanted our opinion and said whatever we voted would be the outcome. Very considerate of the Wizengamot..."

"That's brilliant!" said Hermione, a supportive smile on her face. All the Americans nodded in agreement.

"I hadn't realised Hogwarts still wasn't open!" stated Annabeth, looking surprised.

"There was a lot of structural damage to the castle; we couldn't have slabs of rock falling on students, and most of the paintings were ruined. McGonagall's been going non stop replacing those - in and out of Gringotts every day... she's practically part of the bank now." said Bill, a wide eyed expression on his face. "The goblins have practically accepted her as their own!"

"She's bloody six feet!" muttered Ron under his breath, earning him a stern glare from Hermione.

"It's true!" he protested although it did nothing to help his case. "All the goblins are at least two and a half..."

"There's more, kids." interrupted Mr Weasley, halting the rant that was sure to come out of Ron's mouth.

"More?" asked Harry, intrigued now.

Molly nodded. "As some children were evacuated, and some of you missed school due to... _special circumstances,_ the Ministry have decided to open up the last two years, so students can redo them."

Silence. It took a while for that to too sink into Harry's head.

"We're going back?... to Hogwarts?" he asked eventually.

Mrs Weasley nodded.

"Bloody hell, that's brilliant! Who knows what Hogwarts will be like without Voldemort looking over your shoulder?!" exclaimed Ron, his face jubilant.

Hermione still seemed to be in shock, but her expression seemed frozen mid-grin, so Harry thought she'd be fine.

"And, you two will be going." said Mrs Weasley, looking sternly at her twins.

"But we have a shop to run! And packages to deliver!" they protested, each offering an excuse.

"And I'm sure you can do all that from the castle." gritted out Mrs Weasley, still not happy with her boys career choice.

The twins still seemed ashen at the prospect of returning to Hogwarts.

"You'll be able to market your stuff to the kids buying." pointed out Charlie, finding the silver lining. "You'll have free test subjects."

The siblings shared a small grin.

"And you, dears." said Mrs Weasley, finally. "You lot are all welcome in attending during your stay. It'll be productive I'm sure, with you lot not having a proper education. Most of the Order members will be in and out of the castle anyway so we'll be able to figure out this prophecy anyway."

Percy and Piper shared a horror filled look, while Annabeth and Jason beamed up at Mrs Weasley.

"We'd love-" they started.

"Not too!"

Percy and Piper finished, looking panicked at the idea.

Percy turned to his girlfriend, as Harry had presumed. "It'll be a disaster! Who knows how much we'll mess up this time?!"

"And how many cars Piper will steal?" added Leo, sneakily chiding Piper.

" _Go walk into the wall." s_ he said, and Harry had never felt the need to walk into the wall so much. He even began to rise from his seat along with Leo, before Ron shot out his arm and dragged him back down.

He watched in awe as Leo got up and ran at the wall with so much enthusiasm that he ended up laying still on the kitchen floor.

"What was that?" asked Harry breathlessly, still slightly concerned for the Latino elf that was now unconscious.

Piper grimaced. "I forgot you weren't here this morning. I have charmspeak, so I could convince you to do anything I wanted. Yes, I know it's like the Imperious curse - which I have never cast, or had cast upon me in me life - and it's really bad if you think about it, but I'd never use it for wrong doing and it's saved my life more than once." She breathed out all in one breath so fast that Harry was still processing when he discovered that Percy and Piper had lost the argument and Annabeth and Jason were sitting happily at the table.

"We can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow then, we need to get all your supplies soon; schools starts in five days... I don't know how we're going to afford seven extra people, but we'll manage-"

"Oh don't worry, Molly." said Hazel, looking at her in horror. "I'm sure we've got some money somewhere."

Mrs Weasley bit her lip, and Harry could tell that she wanted to say that it would be fine, but even though Mr Weasley had gotten a promotion, pay day wasn't for another month.

"Are you sure, dears?" she asked, and the all nodded assuredly back at her.

She gave them a rueful smile and said, "Money's a bit tight round here usually. I'm sure that we've got a few spare books lying around, but I'm sure you'll want to take some back to America for your friends."

"If you need it, I can probably pay for your supplies." offered Harry. "I've already got most of mine; I'll just need to top up on quills and ink."

"No, no, no." insisted Hazel, and she looked at him with confidence. "I can get some from home, I'm sure."

Harry could see a sneaky grin slide it's way into Leo's face just before, "Hazels Dad is loaded."

All the Americans sighed and a few smiled weakly at his 'joke', but Harry didn't get it. It was probably an inside joke.

"Right then! We'll be off early tomorrow, see if we'll beat the morning rush. I'm sure there are lots of other families who need last minute supplies. Off you pop, children."

"We've got a big day ahead!"

 **This is a filler chapter, I'm sorry and I didn't know what to call it, so I'm leaving it up to you guys! Please comment and say what it's should be called and good luck coming up with one because I can't seem to think of one for the life of me.**

 **Next time we'll be off to Diagonally! I wonder if the street really is Diagonal?**? ? ﾟﾘﾶ

 **BYE ;)**


	14. The Diagonal Alley

Piper's POV

" **Right, we have robes, cauldrons, potion ingredients, parchment, quills, all of the books - thank you for carrying those, Frank - and a bank vault full of money - thank you, Hazel**."

Piper rattled off their purchases as they tucked themselves into a corner next to the Quidditch shop that Leo had made them promise to go to last.

Hazel beamed at Piper, proud of her persuasive skills. It had only taken a little persuasion of Clovis to put her through to Pluto last night while she slept.

They had all been afforded a wish of meagre value by an Olympian of our choosing, which you could cash in at any point. Hazel had picked her father and asked for her escaping from the underworld to be overlooked. It was a more than meagre request but it didn't require much effort on Pluto's part so he granted it and Hazel could now disregard the fear of being transported to the land of the dead the easy way.

"We've only got animals, wands and quidditch left - and of course Fred and George's joke shop, but I think that's after Quidditch..." said Hermione trailing off, craning her head around to see _Weasley's Wizards Wheezes_ and the ceramic clown in the window.

"Which would you like first?" She offered, gazing at her tour group. Hermione, Ron and Harry had split up in favour of guiding around their dyslexic visitors; Hermione with Piper, Jason, Hazel and Frank, Harry with Percy, Annabeth and Leo (because Annabeth was the only one present to keep them both under control) and Ron with his parents and Ginny.

"I'd like to do wands." said Jason, looking eagerly at the shop they had avoided all morning.

Hermione smiled as she watched all of the demigods faces light up, and Piper felt half bad for lying to her. She thought that they had been deprived of magic and had acted like a mother to all of them, carefully explaining countless things that they already knew, thanks to Athena.

 _We'll have to tell them at some point..._ she thought dejectedly as Hermione relented and guided them through the hordes to _larnevOlid's_ ( _Ollivander's_ ).

They trooped into the shop and squeezed to the edges of the antique room to let a young boy exit, looking delightedly at a short wand. Piper smiled warmly at the boy as he looked at her with pure excitement in his eyes.

At last, the bustle of witches and wizards ceased as the heavy door swung shut, leaving the demigods and witch in a seemingly deserted and cluttered shop.

Piper looked around in curiosity along with Jason, Frank and Hazel, inspecting the long boxes littered on the dusty shelves and huge volumes lain open on wooden dressers.

A clatter echoed along the walls of the shop behind the counter and all of their heads snapped up, as if guilty of their curiosity.

"Won't be a moment; just putting these away!" floated a voice down the hallway.

An elderly man pottered into view, his greying hair in tufts, sticking out in all directions and kindly eyes squinting at them through large spectacles.

"Ahh, what do we have here? I suspect that you aren't first years?" his voice was warm as he surveyed the group, his eyes sweeping over them.

"Uh, no. We're not from around here." said Jason, his tone polite.

"American?" he observed, his almost nonexistent eyebrows raising. "I haven't had an American walk through those doors in a very long time."

Jason didn't know what to say so he simply smiled tentatively at the shopkeeper. Ollivander, he presumed.

"No matter, no matter..." he waved off, peering at the precarious stack of boxes behind the counter. "Come for new wands... lost?"

Piper didn't understand what he meant for a second and neither did Jason before Hazel spoke up for them.

"No, these are our first wands." She said, nervous of his reaction. She presumed that almost witches and wizards got their wands at a much younger age so a group this old would be very peculiar.

However, Ollivander took no notice and turned around to inspect her, squinting at her relatively small frame.

"And what is you're name, Miss?" he inquired politely.

"Hazel Levesque." she replied.

"Hmm, French?"

"No, I'm from Louisiana." she smiled warmly at him. "But close."

"Ah, that'll probably be why." the old man said, returning to the precarious shelf.

"No no no, not that one... certainly not that, maybe this one...? And this one..."

He placed two, long boxes on the counter and beckoned Hazel forward. He slipped off the lid and picked up a dark coloured wand, the smooth wood gleaming in the dimly lit room.

"Here you go - twelve inches, unicorn hair and Hazel wood; rather fitting I suppose..."

Hazel had only gripped the handle when a _woosh!_ of black smoke erupted from the end and obscured Ollivander's face from view.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr Ollivander! I didn't mean to-" rushed out Hazel, dropping the wand back into the box immediately.

"Not to worry, dear. Happens all the time. Maybe not so fitting... try this one." said Ollivander, waving away the soot-like powder and offering the second wand, a much lighter colour this time although still smooth.

Hazel gingerly took it from his outstretched hands and held it very still.

"Well, go on! Give it a twirl!" encouraged Ollivander, eagerly staring at her.

Hazel tentatively flicked it, and much to her surprise, a ruby popped out the end and landed with a _thunk_ on the floor.

"Bravo!" applauded Ollivander, staring curiously at the stone. "I've never seen someone conjure a ruby, but the wand is most definitely yours, Ms Levesque."

Hazel beamed at him before carefully placing the wand in her pocket, along with the ruby.

"Hawthorn wood, dragon heartstring, relatively stiff and twelve inches. Very good for Charms, that one." Ollivander nodded to himself.

"Whose next?" he asked, and Jason eagerly stepped forward.

"Mr...?"

"Jason Grace."

"Hmmm, alright... lets see, let's see..."

He withdrew three boxes, and placed them on the counter. "Let's try this one... Phoenix tail feather, oak wood and eight inches, fairly heavy." he said, gingerly placing a tan wand with a unicorn-style handle into Jason's outstretched fingers.

Jason, having seen Hazels attempts, waved the wand gingerly in a circle. A small wind swept through the room, ruffling Jason's blonde hair and Ollivander's own wispy white tufts.

"Delightful! First try! I do pride myself on my matchmaking... Now, you young lady, what's your name?"

"Piper, sir." obliged Piper, smiling at him while clutching her bag filled with potion ingredients and quill ink.

"Hmmmm, what to pick... this one? Yes, yes..."

He placed a box on the counter, lifting the lid to reveal a darkly coloured wand, elegantly carved. "Douglas fir, this one, and has a core of pegasus feather. It is 10 and 1/2 inches long and quite springy." stated Ollivander as he keenly watched Piper loft the wand and _swish_ it, causing violent sparks to emit from the end.

One leapt into the old mans beard and fizzed angrily, but the Wandmaker calmly patted it out as Piper thrust the wand back into the box.

"Maybe not..."

Another box was placed in front of Piper and the process was repeated, only this time an ear-piercing shriek erupted from the wand, making the glass in Jason's spectacles quiver in their frames.

Another two boxes were placed on the counter, and a large crack formed in the stone wall along with five wand boxes shooting them selves out of the shelves.

Finally, seven wands later and a fifteen minutes that seemed to have aged the shopkeepers appearance five years more, a wand was placed in Piper's hand that sang a soft few notes that filled the tense room. Hermione cracked open an eye and squinted at Piper's astonished face as she gazed and the singing wand.

"Beautiful! A lovely wand for a lovely witch." applauded Ollivander, his eyes still seeming to twinkle like the eleven year old boy who had attended the shop before them.

The demigods and witch trooped out off the small shop and made their way over to the Quidditch store, where they found Leo with his nose pressed to the glass as he examined the polished Firebolt in the window.

"But-But, _how?"_ came his muffled questions, his voice rather Nataly as his nose left steam marks on the window. "It's just a simple Flying Charm, really."

Leo glanced at Hermione's as she informed him, keeping the fact that he wasn't concerned about how it flew, but rather why the bindings and flourishes were made out of _Imperial Gold._

Piper pressed her face against the window as well, unable to make out the details due to Leo's breath fogging up the glass. "They _are magical_ descendants... they probably don't know what the difference is." she murmured to Leo, trying to keep her voice low as she glanced at Hermione, who was now in deep conversation with Harry, Percy and Annabeth.

Percy, surprisingly, had a handsome, dark black owl nestled in his shoulder, it's steely stare sweeping over the bustling street. It had two feathers pointing upwards on its head and had thick, muscly legs with warm, bright, amber eyes. t looked like a bodyguard.

"How the hell did you get an _owl,_ Percy?!" ridiculed Jason, staring disbelievingly at the well-behaved animal.

Percy grinned back, looking like he was barely containing his excitement. "It was amazing, Jace! All the others attacked me-" he showed his arm that had multiple red lines crisscrossing their way down to his wrist "- and this one fought them off!"

Piper peeled herself off the glass to join Jason in staring at a very proud Percy.

"It was quite terrifying to be honest." said Harry, warily looking at the haughty Owl.

"I guess Aunty Athena likes you now." said Piper, making sure to speak carefully.

"Ah, not quite." said Annabeth, grimacing. "I was just telling Harry about Aunty Athena- but apparently the bird was a chick of a patients Owl in St Mungo's and one of the cleansing spells went wrong and hit this one."

She gestured to the bird, sitting on top of a decidedly glummer Percy. His story had been ruined.

True to her word, when the owl slowly turned to survey the surroundings, it's feathers (for she didn't know its gender) shone with a blue-green aura that reminded her of an oil spill.

"So it's not Aunty Athena, it's your freak-water-ness that the slightly confused bird likes." summed up Jason.

"...no." replied Percy, staring fixedly at the ground.

Piper rolled her eyes.

"I thought you wanted an Owl, Annabeth?" questioned Hermione.

"I did." she admitted, "But Percy's got one now and we don't need two, so I got this one." She gestured to her feet, where a beautiful and coffee coloured cat twined itself around her ankles, with startling blue-grey eyes that almost matched Annabeth's own. Annabeth's were more like molten silver headlamps.

"It's a Himalayan cat, and Percy's Owl is a Eurasian eagle owl."

"Can we go in now?" prompted Leo, having detached himself from the window.

"Well, Ron's family might be a while, and they've all got brooms... I suppose we could just browse..." contemplated Hermione, and no longer than the last syllable was out of her mouth, Leo was through the shop door.

The shop was filled to the brim with Broomstick Kits and polishing gear and surprisingly didn't have a single loose twig in sight.

Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, Hazel and Annabeth where all thrilled with the idea of flying and playing Quidditch. However, Percy was not as enthused.

"Piper, I'll be zapped." he clicked his fingers in her face, causing her to blink. "-just like that! Pfft! Tzzp! Sss!Gone."

Piper could have sworn he was an Apollo child in his previous life, because his drama skills were severely up to date as he shook his fingers in his face and stared at her with horror-filled eyes.

Piper and Percy had become practically best friends, save for his bromance with Jason, as quite amusedly observed by a new camper. Annabeth and Jason had had quite a laugh when he had assumed that they were a couple.

"You'll be fine, Perce. When have you been zapped by Zeus?" she countered, trying to use logic as she observed a Thunderbolt Model that had obviously been inspired by a certain Boy Who Lived.

"Never, but-"

"And have you _flown_ while he knew you were in the air?"

"Yes, but-"

"But nothing, Perce. Suck it up, buttercup. You might not get into the team anyway, or even need the broom." reasoned Piper, moving on to an older looking model that she presumed read _Cleansweep_ and not _weaepenlcees._

Percy gave her a side glare as he picked up a polishing gift and started to inspect it as if it would bite him.

After a few more minutes of side glares and fruitless attempts to get Annabeth to deal with her boyfriend - who had been enraptured by a detailed lecture on the history of Broomsticks by the shopkeeper - Piper pulled out the last tops.

"Look, Percy, have you used your wish yet?" she asked him exasperatedly.

He snapped out of his grouchiness immediately and looked at her curiously. "No, I don't know what to use it for... they're not going to do anything big like my last one..."

"So use it for this."

He blinked at her.

"I honestly don't know how Annabeth stands you, Perce. Honestly, I don't even." Piper told him earnestly.

"I happen to be very charming and helpful thank you very much." he defended.

Annabeth appeared next to him. "Actually, it's your six pack that got me."

A mixture of pride and affronted-ness crosses his face. Piper snorted.

"Anyway, just ask for you to be allowed to freely enter Zeus' domain- and specify that you be allowed with or without a Pegasus." said Piper, interrupting Annabeth's mischievous-ness.

Percy remained silent, as if thinking over her solution.

"You know, Seaweed Brain, that's not actually a bad idea." said Annabeth, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

"Gee, thanks Annabeth." said Piper, drily.

Annabeth made a face at her.

"Guys!" exclaimed Leo, running up to them. Hazel, Frank trailed after him while Harry left to purchase some more polish.

"I want to get _Firebolt's_ but they're too pricey, and I've figured out that if we all get one, then we can get the _Nimbus 2000._ Harry says they're pretty good and I'm sure I can make some adjustments." he rushed out, his eyes wide with anticipation and his wand emoting soft sparks from the top of his pocket.

"Okay, are we all going to do this? I mean we might not need brooms each, were here for a quest, not for fun." pointed out Frank.

"But we might need them to get around." said Piper.

Annabeth bit her lip. "I've got to say that it _is_ handy to have... and we are going to be here for a while..."

"Yes!" exclaimed Leo, already heading off in the direction of the counter.

"I didn't say yes!" yelled Annabeth indignantly at his back.

"Technicalities." he retorted, already taking out his pouch.

 _ **HELLO DARKNESS, MY OLD FRIENDS! I'm so sorry for disappearing for so long, and it's gonna happen for a while now, bc I've got GCSE's. This is a filler chapter, but I'm trying to think of what prophecy discussions they're gonna have next time.**_

 _ **In the meantime, I'm leaving the Owl and Cats name go to you guys! Please try to do something funny and not very ordinary - Hedwig wasn't exactly the most common name for an owl! I'd like it to be unique! Comment here what you think it should be.**_

 **-aoifedarkllove**


	15. To Scream

Harry's POV

 **Harry hadn't thought much of the Dursley's in the last three years.**

Actually, scratch that, he felt a fleeting moment of privilege when Hermione had disclosed how she had to sacrifice her own parents before the war, and had thanked his lucky stars that he still had people to call family roaming England somewhere.

But then again, it was certainly a very fleeting one, he really didn't have many lucky stars to thank and he'd never admit to anyone - or even himself - that they were his family.

But, when finding himself tucked into the dining table in Sirius' kitchen in an Order meeting, he found himself pondering quite a lot over them.

Professor McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Daedalus Diggle, Mundungus Fletcher, Lupin, Hagrid tucked into a corner, Fleur and Bill, various other Weasley's and the American 'legends' were sitting in similar fashion to Harry, who was sat in between Ron and Hermione. There was quite an enthusiastic conversation ensuing over the table, and Harry felt as if he were apart of the Dursley household once again.

Not once had anyone had a civilised meeting that established progress, or even attempted to start conversation with the trio.

He was sure that Hermione and Ron were also feeling the same, having witnessed Hermione's frequent attempts to involve herself in the discussions of rampant Death Eaters and more stolen goods that Mundungus had attempted to hide in Number Twelve. Ron hadn't bothered but he still frowned every time Hermione's input was ignored.

He somewhat jealously watched the American's eagerly join conversation and offer tactics of capture to the next fieldwork members who were struggling to catch a particularly suspicious bunch of Death Eaters, angrily recounting the times his endeavours to take part in Order meetings had been rebutted.

Annabeth herself seemed to be revered heavily by Shacklebolt, thought Harry as he watched their conversation, as she babbled on about motto's and unity.

Piper and Frank were in deep conversation with Hestia Jones about the prophecy and what they'd come up with when they'd heard it in America, but thought Harry strained his ears to hear what they were saying, none of their words made it to his ears.

On the other hand, Percy, Leo and Hazel were providing the entertainment.

A little, animated-looking bronze mouse danced along the table as Leo held a similarly coloured remote in his hands, Percy conducting a small amount of swirling water around it as Hazel boredly conjured up obstacles. The Weasleys' and Sirius seemed highly intrigued in the little show, even Lupin was watching intently, but Harry found himself too irritated at the lack of information to be amused and distracted by the robotic circus act.

"Do you think they're doing it on purpose?"

Ron's question shook Harry out of his little loathing monologue.

"I dunno." he replied. "They do seem really interested..."

Hermione pursed her lips. "They need to hurry up and get on with it, we need to be up early tomorrow." she said, agitatedly fidgeting as she glanced at the second clock next to Mrs Weasley's family one. They had to be up early for the train tomorrow; their bags were packed upstairs and they had all been extremely relived that they wouldn't have to squeeze into another car, but we're finally able to use disapparition.

Harry briefly left his sour mood upon glancing at Hermione's, Fleur's and his own shiny new hands all pointing towards Home on Mrs Weasleys clock.

That was when Harry noticed something quite off.

"Hey, when was Hazel able to conjure stuff without a wand?"

Beforehand, Harry had been sure that she had been gesturing with her one new wand, but now he simply saw her hand wave through the air, as she made stairs for the mouse to climb.

Harry noticed more.

"And Percy's doing the same with water! The last time I saw that was in the Ministry!"

His little outburst went unnoticed by everyone except Ron and Hermione, and he watched, shocked, as Percy twiddled his fingers and the water began to circle the mouse and stairs like a portal.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you didn't come with us day before yesterday." said Ron, watching the little show in the middle of the table.

"What?"

Hermione turned to the mouse. "Piper invited us to come with them to move their ship and I dragged Ron along." She glanced at Harry apologetically. "I'm sorry, I would have brought you as well but you were still sleeping."

Harry nodded. "But that still doesn't explain why no one is noticing that they can do ridiculous wandless magic - like Leo's fire-stuff can be inherited, right? Like Tonks?"

Hermione nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but Harry was too shocked at the act that he had only ever seen two of the strongest wizards ever accomplish at great cost, be performed negligibly by a girl at least five times younger to allow her to finish.

Harry gestured to Hazel furiously, actually glad that no one was paying any attention to their little conversation. "But that's blatant wandless magic!"

"Yeah, mate. It's not real." said Ron.

"What?" repeated Harry, quite confused now.

Hermione looked quite upset that her moment to be a walking encyclopaedia was stolen so Ron smiled begrudgingly at her.

She smiled back at him. "She can create really solid illusions; so the stairs aren't really there."

He glanced dubiously at her. "But the mouse is walking on them- don't tell me that Leo can do that too."

"Nah he's just a bit overexcited." answered Ron, grinning.

Harry paused for a moment, watching the mouse stumble a bit on the never ending stairs that vanished behind his steps.

"So... do they all have powers that we've never seen of or heard before?"

"Pretty much." surmised Ron.

Harry sighed.

Hermione ignored him and ploughed on. "So, Frank can transform into any animal, but can't change his facial features like Tonks could, Hazel can create really solid illusions, Leo is pyrokinetic and is good with making things, but I think that's just him, Piper can convince anyone to do anything, Jason can fly-" Harry's eyebrows shot up and his gaze darted at the placid and firmly seated on the ground, blonde boy. "-as well as shoot lightning, Percy can control water and do anything water-y and Annebeth is telepathic."

Harry's eyebrows got lost in his scruffy hairline.

"Anything else you guys forgot to tell me?"

"Yes."

Harry's eyebrows reappeared as they scrunched up.

"They still get frequent attacks here from magical creatures with ill-intent."

"Great. Just great."

It was that moment when Kreacher decided to wander into the room, still muttering under his breath and kneading his hands together. Everyone fell silent, still mistrusting the conniving elf.

Harry himself found that he was now indifferent to the trio, but the rest were still suspicious of the elf that sold them out.

"All traitors, scheming in My Lady's house, oh the shame, the shame they bring... they want to ruin our tradition, of only My Lady could see them now, plotting and planning in her house, she'd banish and forbid and hex- but not the girl, no, Master forbade that, but..."

His not so silent mutterings caused everyone else to cease their chatter and stare at the elf, who slowly pottered his way to the cupboard under the sink.

Kreacher reached out a spindly arm to open the door, revealing his nest of rags and priceless heirlooms, in which he scrambled into and closed the door, never once stopping his never-ending loop of ranting.

"Uh, is... that alright?"

Everyone turned to look at Percy, who staring at the cupboard as if Gandalf had climbed out and told him never to eat tomatoes. In other words, mild disgust and fear.

"He's a house elf." explained Hermione.

"More like an opponent behind enemy lines, but most of the time he doubles as an elf." offered Ginny, wrinkling her nose.

The twins let out sounds of approval.

Hermione frowned at her. "If he wasn't brainwashed because of Mrs Black, I bet he'd be a really good elf! If you'd just-"

"And I'd bet that dear old mumsy's painting will fall apart one day, but we all want what we can't have, Hermione." said Sirius, entering the room and clapping a hand on her shoulder.

She scowled at him.

"Anyway! Have you all started the meeting off without me?" he continued, swaggering off to the end of the table where his usual seat sat.

People began to mutter but he interrupted them.

"Lovely. You're all too kind."

He caught Harry's eye and winked at him drawing a small grin to his face.

Kingsley spoke up, his accent rich. "We're almost done clearing the Ministry, Umbridge has been put on probation for cooperation with malicious intent," the twins grinned, "we're fairly sure that all Dark artefacts have been disposed of, but we still keep finding explosive alarms in the Editors Hall..." Harry, Ron and Hermione blushed, "- we still haven't gotten enough workers in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures... there's been a lot of planes coming from there at the moment."

The Americans all looked at each other but didn't say anything.

They did say that they'd have a lot of migrational magical creatures out for their hides, and it probably would be best for a Ministry employee not to know that it was their fault that the Ministry was having to deal with a surplus of hostile beasts.

"There's a new fellow called Uzoma Panks who's joined the Department of International Cooperation... odd fellow with an American accent..." Kingsley glanced at the newcomers. "Thought you lot might've 'eard of him..?"

Piper frowned and shook her head. "Never heard of him, but we'll think about it."

The ex Minister nodded. He apparently had nothing left to say, so Bill and Fleur took over.

"We tracked the rumours to Italy, that's where Elphias said he'd last heard rumours of Pyrites, and we've narrowed it down to the northern half, but it's going to take some time." Bill glanced affectionately at Fleur who smiled gently at him. "International dissaparation cuts like dragon claws."

Mr Weasley rolled his shoulder at the mention of the method of wizarding travel, perhaps reminiscing his own, recent experience. Harry had heard that they'd miscalculated and ended up appearing fifty feet off the ground.

"Yes, well. Don't rush, dears, be careful, the man's been off the radar for years... surprised he's still kicking, really..." said Mrs Weasley, looking worriedly at them. Harry could almost hear the words she didn't say, telling them to leave off the goosehunt for Voldemort's old right-hand man. The married couple didn't reply.

"What about the prophecy?" inputted Fred, speaking what everyone really wanted to hear.

"That's what we want to know." added George, leaning in similar fashion on the countertop.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat up a little straighter.

"I believe, that you two will want to ask our American allies that, Fred." said Lupin sagely, wearing his usual expression of intent expectancy and all-knowing.

All heads swivelled to the group of seven cramped into the bench.

They blinked.

They blinked again.

And then Percy opened his mouth.

"Look, I'm sorry about you lot being dragged into this, it's our problem and you've already got enough to deal with-"

Harry interrupted. "Stop." Percy looked at him quizzically and apologetically. "We don't have time to worry about what we've got on our plates. We've done this before, I'm sure we can all do his again. It can't be as bad as last time."

Murmurs of agreement filled the room at Harry's words, though the trio noticed that none of the seven budged an inch, their eyes all fixed on Harry.

Jason then nodded to himself while Hazel breathed heavily out of her nose, their concerned expressions never faltering.

"Okay then..." said Leo. "Well we, here, are the mega-awesome legends of now, if you don't mind me repeating, and we figured that you guys are the family descendants, since magic came over from the old US of A."

Leo's humour injected words eased the tense atmosphere, and Harry saw the Americans start to grin, some of the tightness leaving their defined muscles.

"That's really true?" asked Hermione, her eyes bright with interest.

"Well, were pretty sure from the books we've read, but there's no way of really knowing; and there's no other people that we consider descendants, but here we are." grimaced Annabeth.

"What about the fight of fire?" asked Ron, leaning forward on the table.

Jason grimaced. "We don't really k ow about that one, or the crystal soul."

"Hey, I thought we agreed that it was me, Supreme Captain, defeating a powerful person!" protested Leo.

Piper clamped a hand on his mouth and smiled forcibly at everyone.

"But, we think that malice of death and evil of the uncontrollable is where one of our enemies is teaming up with yours... we just don't know why yet, because our lot aren't exactly very smart." she continued, still holding Leo's mouth shut.

He licked her hand and she hurriedly snatched her hand back, wiping it on Leo's shirt.

"What about Blood of Night and Morai?" asked Ginny.

The Americans didn't say anything.

"Morai... Morai... I've heard of them before..." said Hermione lowly. "They're mythical, aren't they?"

Annabeth shrugged, a move that Harry would have never associated with her. "I don't know, your guess is as good as ours. The prophecy's are never clear."

Her statement was met with various nods.

"What about love so true? Are we going to defeat them with hippie peace signs?" asked Harry, dubiously thinking over the lines.

"Hippie..?" said Ron, muttering under his breath. The other Weasleys looked as confused as him.

"Yes.. uh, well..." mumbled Annabeth. The table all looked at her.

"We think it's Annabeth and Percy." blurted Piper. The table blinked at her.

"Uh, why?" contended Ron.

Piper glanced at Annabeth and she nodded. "Well, in our war, we were separated and Percy and Annabeth were captured." Everyone swivelled their head to look at the couple in question, who were staring fixedly at the worn wooden table.

"They were... exploited, let's say, and as one of the... persecution's, they would give one some Amortentia and make the other watch as the other go off...

"Anyway, it was all good in the end," continued Piper as everyone looked at them sorrowfully. "Because the potion didn't work on them."

"And that's why you think that they're love so true." finished Hermione.

Everyone was silent.

"The curse invincible obtained we think was referring to something we have in America. It gives you rock hard skin, increases your fighting prowess, strength, senses, pretty much everything... it makes you 'invincible'." said Jason, breaking the quiet, using quotation marks.

"But.." said Sirius, waving his hand in a circular motion, intoning then to continue. There must be a catch.

Jason grimaced. "It gives you a weak spot that, if hurt, would kill you instantly. We nicknamed it the River Styx, like in mythology."

Hermione nodded.

"So you two went and.. got the curse?" asked Harry, looking at Percy and Annabeth.

They nodded.

"And ze last three lines?" asked Fleur.

"We don't know." said Frank, a lost expression on his face.

Another silence ensued.

"Well." said Professor McGonagall. "That's probably quite enough for one evening."

"Yes," agreed Mrs Weasley. "I hope everyone is packed, we leave at quarter to eleven, and I would not like to be searching high and low all morning for things you've lost."

The twins grumbled but hopped of the counter as other, older members of the Order rose from their seats and began to talk amongst themselves.

Harry, Hermione and Ron made for the stairs, along with Ginny and the twins, while the Americans made for the living room.

As they were climbing the stairs, Ron turned to Harry.

"Do you think you'll be made Quidditch captain again?" he asked.

"Dunno, haven't thought about it." replied Harry. "They might pick someone else."

"Like me." inputted Ginny.

Harry grinned and turned to her. "I wouldn't mind."

Ron wrinkled his nose and tugged Harry up the stairs. Ginny rolled her eyes.

Hermione and Ginny bid goodnight to Ron and Harry before continuing up the stairs with Fred and George.

The boys got dressed in silence and climbed into bed.

"G'night, Harry."

"Night, Ron."

Ron closed his eyes, and almost immediately fell asleep, entering the realm of dreams.

.o.O.0.O.o.

This one was rather lucid. Ron was standing in the midst of the ruins in Hogwarts. Crumbled rocks littered the pathway with the vast majority of solid bricks lay tumbled at the edges. Dust hung heavily in the air and the floating candles were strewn haphazardly down the hall.

The grey sky was visible above him, the ceiling gone and a big plank of wood lay on the two walls, like a beam.

He could hear something but he couldn't hear it. It was an odd sensation, and he felt as if he should be remembering something but couldn't remember it.

That's when he remembered the sound and all of a sudden it attacked his ears. He spun in the spot to see a disheveled Hermione flying down the stone stairs, desperately looking behind her as she was chased by a huge mass of spiders, all crawling over each other in their haste to reach her.

She flung a spell over her shoulder but it simply sank into the big, black blob.

Fear built up in Ron's chest and he began to backpedal.

"Hermione, hurry up! Jump the rest!"

He continued to run backwards his arms outstretched to her. She looked up at him desperately and started to run towards him.

Her rough hands held no heat nor cold but he continued to run from the lumpy mass of spiders racing after them. They turned left, pumping their arms and legs to reach the courtyard; as if getting there would stop the onslaught.

But then, when Ron glanced back, his heart beating furiously, he saw the spiders converge into a think line, and melt.

Disgust filled him and fuelled his legs further when the molten spiders formed a recognisable green snake, baring it's fangs. A few spiders crawled out it's hissing mouth.

Ron's panic grew, and he almost lost his footing.

Right. Left. Right. Left.

RIGHT. LEFT. RIGHT. LEFT.

The snake slithered across the floor behind them rapidly, quickly gaining on their own escape. They reached the empty doorway to the courtyard, but Nagini blocked their way.

Ron quickly brought Hermione to his chest and dove to the other side, landing on the rubble. He braced himself and wrapped his arms tightly around Hermione, who buried her head in his chest, seized up tightly.

Through the tight fear in his chest, Ron still had an inkling that it would be alright, as if this had all happened before.

But that was when he caught sight of Neville laying on the damp and dust covered floor, blankly staring at the sky. His hair had a tuft that was sticking straight up and a long, ugly looking scar that traced its way down his forehead and cheek.

Dead.

His heart sank.

Proper fear objected itself into him.

His heart clenched and it felt as if his Adam's apple had climbed its way into his skull. His arms tightened around Hermione.

And the snake plunged, fangs diving into his skin, spiders crawling out his hair and over his face. Into his eyes and nose, under his fingernails, beneath his shirt. Hermione was ripped out of his grip and left an open space that the spiders rushed to, biting and tearing.

The deadening screams he'd only heard once before spilled into the air as the snake moved onto its next victim, sinking its fangs into her neck.

A strangled scream tore its way from his lungs and he shot up, his eyes wide open, struggling for air, eyes bloodshot.

Harry fell out of the bed beside him.

"HERMIONE!" he screamed, his voice hoarse. Where was she?

Ron kept out of bed and opened the door in a single stride.

Whereisshewhereisshewhereisshe.

He took the stairs three at a time, thankful for his lanky figure.

The snake biting into her neck filled his head again, unbidden.

"HERMIONE!"

He reached the second floor in seconds and tore into Ginny's room.

Both girls shot up and had wands in hand in less than a second. The words of hexes and charms were halfway out of their mouths when Ron rushed over to the taller of the two and crushed them into a hug.

"Ron? What-"

He squeezed her tighter, breathing in her shampoo. No snakes. No blood. No spiders.

Ginny quietly slipped out of the room as Ron steadied his heartbeat and Hermione leaned against him.

Another hoarse scream ripped into the Black household.


	16. Everyone Keeps Finishing Everyones Lines

**Frank's POV**

 **Frank was slowly sinking into his seat as a haughty owl stared so intently at him, he was convinced that it was attempting to induce hypnotism.**

"Why'd you call him Kook again?" he found himself mumbling, without tearing his gaze away from the dark bodyguard. His gaze began to swim with its neon blue eyes, and the edges of his vision began to darken.

"I don't know, it felt right I guess." came Percy's eloquent reply.

The owl continued to stare.

Frank stared back.

The owl stared.

Frank stared back.

The owl stare-

And a coffee coloured cat jumped up onto Hazels lap beside him. Gala, she'd been named.

Frank didn't know why she'd been called that, either.

An intense conversation was taking place in the carriage, but Frank didn't care. Well, he sort of did care, but there were more pressing matters at hand. He was under attack, he thought, as the dark-tipped cat joined the staring onslaught on his persons. His eyes couldn't watch two things at once.

That was, of course, unless he turned into a swarm of bees. Then the tables would turn.

But, alas, he would seem rather stupid to turn into a swarm of bees just to turn the tide of a very unusual and self-esteem digging staring contest. Then again, it was rather stupid that he was entertaining such a thing. He could just look away.

But, for the sake of his Roman pride, he would have to remain on the losing side. Of a staring contest.

All the words filling the room fell on deaf ears. Till-

"Frank?"

Frank jolted in his seat, and quickly looked up, still feeling the animal's steely gaze trained on him.

He'd lost.

A small, deluded part of his brain insisted that they were plotting against him while his gaze was averted.

"You okay there, big guy?" asked Leo, an easy-going and knowing smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, just zoned out," he cast a long, side glare to the owl on the luggage rack. "What are we talking about then?"

"The griffons." supplied Hazel, stroking the cat.

Frank nodded.

"The only place I've seen them is in camp... but I don't know where we get them from." said Jason, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees.

"What makes you think they're from camp?" pondered Frank, looking at Jason confusedly.

"They've got gold tipped feathers, just like ones at camp. They really good for training and if we're under attack they're an added bonus."

Frank nodded, "Okay then... I think the stamp on the receipt is a caduceus, so Mercury- Hermes, I mean, might know." replied Frank.

The demigods looked amongst each other as the compartment jostled on the tracks.

Eventually Piper voiced what they were all thinking.

"I don't know about you guys, but I haven't seen or heard of Hermes-"

 **Harry's POV**

-" in ages! We should have met up at some point!" exclaimed Neville, his arm tucked comfortably behind Luna.

Harry smiled half-heartedly at the boy who had grown into man, but still managed to retain his boyishness.

"Yeah, mate." agreed Ron, still looking dubiously at Luna, who was wearing her fanfare-covered glasses for detecting invisible nuisances.

Ron had been rather shaken up by his vivid dream, and Mrs Weasley had reluctantly allowed him to spend the night in Ginny's bed, next to Hermione after a few stubborn tantrums.

Ron had been silent.

 **(Ahahahahaha you weren't expecting that, we're ya!)**

The carriage went quiet as everyone got lost in their own little worlds, but Hermione remained by Ron's side, tentatively looking at Ron as he slumped over in his seat, his mind in a far-away place.

"You want to talk about it?" she asked softly, placing a small hand on his shoulder.

He didn't move, everyone's focus silently now on him.

"It was about Nagini." he eventually relented, swaying with the train as it went over the tracks.

Neville's face went blank.

"It... it was chasing us... me and... and 'Mione... we fell onto the rocks, like last time. But you were dead." he said, making eye contact with Neville.

Neville didn't change his expression.

"..so we weren't saved." finished Ron.

Everyone looked amongst themselves.

"I had quite a few dreams about Hogwarts myself." admitted Luna, looking at Ron with the same expression of understanding and dottiness.

Ron smiled ruefully at her.

"It's quite natural, don't worry. I'll 'spect they'll go soon, they just need to get out of your system."

Not many would be reassured at Luna telling you that a mannerism was natural. Harry himself had been wary when she had informed him that he was 'just as sane as I am', when he saw Thestrals for the first time.

But, to Harry's surprise, Hermione said, "It's true." he blinked. "Muggle soldiers are known to have traumatic dreams after battle. Usually it's something that triggers it, because they don't start immediately afterwards."

Harry noted that she didn't tell him what the dreams were actually called. Ron probably wouldn't take her diagnosing him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder well.

"So what's my trigger?" he asked Ron, leaning back in his seat, his eyes a little decidedly brighter.

"Well..." speculated Hermione. "It'd have to be something new in your life."

Ron frowned. "Mum got me a new pair of socks last weekend. You reckon that they're giving me nightmares?"

Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes. "No, idiot. Something bigger than that." admonished his little sister.

"Bigger that what?" asked Fred, sliding open the compartment doors. His brother was stood behind him.

"Where have you two been?" accused Ron, looking up at the two stocky brothers as they entered.

"Promoting, little brother. We have a few recruits from the First Years already lined up." replied George.

Hermione frowned, a stern remark of human trails already on her lips, but Fred hastily interrupted her, "What's big, then? Ron's head?"

"Something new in our lives," supplied Ginny, interrupting Ron's eminent scowl, "that triggered Ron's nightmare."

The twins turned their heads to their younger brother. "Aww, is ickle-Ronnie having nightmares? Did they scare him?"

"Yeah, you two are ones to talk." he sneered. Fred had often woken the house screaming, as had his brother.

They scoffed and made faces at him.

Ron scowled at them. "So? Any"-

 **Annabeth's POV**

-" ideas?"

Everyone in the carriage shook their heads, and Annabeth looked out the window, watching the fields fly by. It was very green here, she noted, and was littered with woods everywhere, no doubt providing excellent locations for monsters.

"I don't know about you guys but I've never heard of a guy called Uzoma Panks before." said Jason. "And if he really is from the US Ministry of Magic, we'd look like liars."

Everyone nodded, all trying to wrack their brains for the mysterious man. Hazel was sat repeating his name over and over again.

"Maybe, he's a son of Hecate that's Roman veteran. He'd know about magic, and perhaps even know of the quest... we only told people in the camp though, not New Rome." said Frank, giving the most reasonable answer so far.

"Uzoma Panks, Uzoma Panks..."

Hazel's mantra rang in Annabeth's ears. It was ringing some vague bells in her head, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

"How are we going to contact the camps, actually?" asked Piper, suddenly. "Because we can't use Iris Message much around them."

"I think we'll be using Kook here, Pipes." replied Percy, stroking his owls back proudly. "I'm pretty sure that wizards all use owls for their mail"-

"That's it!"

Annabeth brightened as the answer hit her like Chariot of Damnation. "UPS!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"You're going to have to expand on that, Einstein." prompted Leo, raising an eyebrow at her. The rest of the compartment all wore similarly confused faces.

"On our first quest," began Annabeth, impatiently explaining her solution, "Hermes had to give us some weaponry and _gadgets,_ but he couldn't just give them to us because the Gods weren't allowed to interact with demigods and mortals! So then Hermes disguised himself as a UPS worker. Uzoma Panks is Hermes! UPS!"

"Uzoma Panks... 'U', 'P', 'S'... Annabeth that's brilliant!" commended Piper.

"Wait a minute, the gods don't need to avoid us now though, Mr Lightning doesn't care if they talk to us;" pointed out Leo. "Why would he have to disguise himself as 'Uzoma Panks'?"

"Because ' _Mr Lightning'_ doesn't know about the wizarding world." reminded Frank, catching on.

"So, why has Hermes been missing for all this time?" asked Percy. "Connor and Travis said they hadn't seen him in ages."

Annabeth shrugged, "Maybe he's had to make sure that his backstory is good, or is the same as ours. And on top of that, he has to pass for a convincing, experienced adult wizard who knows how a Ministry is run and how to do spells."

"We've got it easier because we're pretending to be students who have only ever practiced on a wand once or twice." inputted Hazel.

"So," said Jason, dragging out the syllable. "He's used our backstory and become a wizard to give us some information or gadgets for the quest, without letting Zeus find out. And," he added, "had to wait till we got here to make sure his story was the same, and that's why he only arrived"-

 **Harry's POV**

-"last week."

Hermione's gaze traveled from the twins to somewhere into space. "I never even thought of that... they're here to fix a new battle, and they're war veterans, so that would very much likely have brought it back! It's so obvious!"

"It's okay 'Mione. None of us thought of it." eased Harry, while Ron put a hand on her knee.

"Who else screamed?" asked Ginny, looking around the occupants of the carriage. "I never found out, Crookshanks stole my telescope."

"I think it was Percy." said Harry, his tone somewhat misbelieving.

"Percy?" ridiculed Ron. "That guy is like Mr Right."

The twins stared at him as if he'd grown another head.

"You looking for a husband, Ron?" grinned Harry, smirking at his best friend.

"Oh, shut up." said Ron, rolling his eyes. "Why'd he scream?"

Hermione spoke up, "I think he had a"-

 **Percy's POV**

-"dream." confessed Percy. "It was really weird..."

"Weirder than usual?" asked Leo, a cheeky grin on his face.

Percy smiled sarcastically back at him. "Yes, thank you very much. Anyway, there was fire everywhere, and this guy had two heads- no it wasn't Janus, he was too pale - but all I remember is so much fear, I'm not sure it was even mine." he doubted, a disbelieving tone in his voice.

"Well, at least it wasn't _downstairs_ again." offered Hazel, grimacing. "We wouldn't be able to talk our way out of that one."

Percy let out a huff. "Whatever it was Piper came up with was pretty good." he conceded.

She smiled.

Jason nodded. "I was completely stumped with that line, I didn't even think about how we were going to explain the prophecy to them. Or what we can even understand." he added. Piper blushed at his compliment.

No one spoke for a moment.

"Maybe we should tell them." said Frank, boldly.

"I was thinking the same in Diagon Alley. It's kinda bad that we're lying to them." admitted Piper, her hands together in her lap.

"But we were told by Hecate not to go blabbing." said Annabeth. "Last time we went against the wishes of a magic goddess, Percy turned into a guinea pig."

That earned a few chuckles, but the message wasn't lost. "And on top of that, they'd start being targeted by monsters." said Annabeth.

"What?" asked Leo, his hands for once halting their ever constant movement.

Annabeth turned to Leo with a grim look on her face. "Rachel said that she's started to be followed by monsters recently."

"Has she been attacked?" asked Hazel, a horrified expression on her face.

"No, not yet. But she should be fine." reassured Annabeth.

"Wait, so mortals who know about Greek's are now target too." clarified Jason, his question coming out more like a statement.

Percy pressed his lips together and began to nod. That meant that his mother and Paul would be in danger.

"We can't let them start being attacked by monsters, especially if we're going to be in a school with children. It's going to be hard enough to do that as it is." pointed out Jason.

"Exactly." agreed Annabeth. "I think it would be best not to tell them about Greek stuff until it's really necessary."

"No doubt that it'll be a 'when' rather than an 'if'." commented Piper, dryly, looking out the window.

"Maybe we shouldn't have told them about our powers." said Hazel doubtfully, a worried expression on her face. "I know of some demigods who just knew of their powers and were chased by monsters before they even got to Lupa."

"We don't even know if monsters will chase them though." pointed out Jason. "They are wizards, maybe their scent repels monsters?"

"It's too risky," said Annabeth painfully, "the only way to make them forget would be to use the Mist, but will it work on them?"

Hazel shrugged, "I don't know, but we'll have to try. We all saw how their spells didn't affect monsters as much as they should... if they start getting attacked by monsters and we aren't there..." she trailed off.

"We'll have to Mist the rest of the Order then as well." added Piper. "We've told all of them and half of them work in the Ministry. If monsters get into their government, it'll be in the news within a day."

"So were going to try to scrap everything we've told them, which hopefully won't fall through because they'll be even more suspicious of us, somehow get back to the Order without them finding out and getting rid of their memories, and keep them from mailing each other in case the Order mentions our powers when they don't know." summed up Leo.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," halted Percy. "We might not even have to scrap everything. I think we should wait until we know more."

"You want to wait until someone gets attacked?" asked Annabeth, disbelievingly. Percy looked at her, at loss for what to think.

"Well, no, but... how about we wait until we see Hermes?" he suggested, his time pleading. "I have his feeling that if we scrap everything, _when,_ not if, we come to tell them it's going to make it really bad. For us."

"That's another risk we're going to have to take," said Piper, softly. "If they get attacked... will you forgive yourself? Will any of us? God knows what could happen if we're not there."

The carriage lapsed into silence.

Frank looked up from his silent staring contest with Gala. "That is going to make it really hard for them to"-

 **Hermione's POV**

-"trust them."

Hermione surveyed the carriages inhabitants carefully as they digested her words.

"No one's explained who 'they' are." pointed out Neville, a lost look on his face.

"You know the new prophecy? The one Trelawny said?" asked Harry, and Neville nodded. "Well, the people they talk about are them."

"They're from America," explained Ginny, mainly looking at Luna's attentive expression. "And they _are_ quite weird to be honest." she said, her gaze trailing back to Hermione.

"Weird is only weird by a particular set of standards." stated Luna, rather philosophically. Hermione swallowed her slight irritation for Luna's open thinking; they would be innocent till proven guilty - of what, she didn't know- but that was only to a certain extent.

"Well, for starters they all have weird powers that have never been documented before."

"Ever?" asked Neville, disbelievingly.

Hermione winced, "Well, not to my knowledge. I'm itching to get to be library"- she saw Harry and Ron roll their eyes -"because there aren't many books in Grimmauld Place, but have you ever heard of someone with powers to control water without a wand? Powers of telepathy? Fire?"

"They could have used a magical water plant, I guess... but I don't think they do anything permanent like that." he conceded.

"Dumbledore could do it." said Harry. "In the Ministry he made all the water float out of the fountain and almost drowned Voldemort."

Hermione looked at Harry with a pained expression. She knew that Harry believed in the estranged Headmaster with all his will and would have taken all his words for lore if he were allowed, but his trust in the man left him so blind sometimes, she wondered how he didn't see it.

Hermione almost smiled at the irony.

"But Harry," she protested gently, "just think about how many times we didn't know - _no one knew -_ what he was doing? What he wanted to do? Dumbledore was on our side, and thank Merlin for that," she rushed, seeing the protest rising to his lips. "But is that really how we want to see them? As people who hide things they don't deem important to share? We need to know everything."

Harry pressed his lips together, unable to deny the logic in her words.

"She's got a point, mate." said Ron, an apologetic look on his face. "We don't know what these people are capable of, or what secrets they're hiding. They could secretly be plotting our downfall and we wouldn't even know it."

"Yeah, okay." relented Harry, bobbing his head. "What do we do about it then? What do you want to find out?"

"Personally, I think we should wait until we get to Hogwarts to check out their weird powers; they've been hearing on me for a while, and try and find out what the all powerful ' _curse invincible'_ is. How it's a secret I have no idea," fathomed Hermione. "A place that gives you amazing senses, strength, fighting prowess and a sharp mind and what? No one has ever heard of it before these people come along."

"Geez, calm down, 'Mione." huffed Harry. "You make it seem like they've been trafficking house elves while your back was turned."

Harry grinned at her, and she blushed slightly. "Sorry, I just think that some things don't add up... and, well, they could have been-"

"Ughhh!" exclaimed Ron and Harry, the former rolling up his eyes and slumping back against the seat back with a _thump._

"We still don't know what we're going to do about it, though." pointed out Ginny.

"That, my dear little sister, is where we come in." announced George, exchanging a knowing and mischievous glance. Fred delved into his bag and procured a brown, wooden box, "Behold, the Extendable Ears Duluxe! Impervious to charms and with considerably much more audible catchment, be awed in the sight of the only pair ever to be made!"

"They are only in the next compartment, you know." deadpanned Harry, looking at the twins flatly.

"You underestimate the foe, Harry." drawled George, sagely, waggling his fingers and his eyes wide with sarcastic omniscience. "We are meddling with mysterious and powerful witches and wizards, here."

The two brothers nodded to each other knowingly.

"Which roughly translates into the fact that you don't have any other pair at hand, because you left them all in the store." elaborated Ginny, giving the brothers a sad look.

"Pshht, details." brushed off Fred, opening the box and revealing two very large, very wrinkly ears. He offered the box to his twin with a flourish, as if serving a dish in a five star restaurant. George graciously removed them from the velvet case and fiddled with the string.

They all watched as the string all of a sudden became taught and streamed onto the floor and under the compartment door.

Muffled sounds floated out of the ears in George's hands, till a sharp _thunk_ sound came from the appendages.

-"careful. No more spontaneous combustion of important notes." came Pipers voice.

Ron, Harry and Hermione exchanged confused glances.

"Hey, you know that happens when I get nervous!" protested a childish voice that sounded a lot like Leo.

"Hey, Leo." said Annabeth reassuringly. "It's okay, we just can't afford any other mistakes - there's only so much people can swallow. After we get rid of it all, we _can't_ slip up."

"Agreed," said Jason. "and we need to keep an eye on what we're saying, you never know when this _Nights child_ is listening."

The witches and wizards all looked at each other. _We're they really hiding things from the enemy, or them as well?_

 _"_ Or them." inputted Frank.

Harry raised his eyebrows. _Them?_ Is that all they were to the Americans? Or were they talking about someone else?

"Hey, what's that?" asked Hazel. "It looks like string."

Alarm ripped through the compartment and George frantically tugged on the string. It started to coil around his feet as it traveled back, but it didn't finish making its way under the door before it caught another sound.

"-don't do it! It's pointless, Goyle. He saved my life, I'm done with it."

Malfoys voice filled the compartment and everyone's eyebrows shot up.

"Malfoy? What does he want?" asked Ron incredulously.

No one answered in favour of listening to what else he had to say.

"I don't care! My dad's in Azkaban 'cause of 'im!" bursted out the surprisingly emotional voice of Goyle.

"Just leave him, Goyle. It was your Dad's own fault he got caught."

"Oi, don't let me start on you! You don't tell me what to do! Your Dad's run away!"

"And good for him! I said, I'm done with Harry and _him!"_

Suddenly, the compartment doors were thrown open with such vehemence they rattled on their hinges.

"You!" yelled an outraged Goyle. "You retard!"

The compartment was then full of exclamations and protest as Goyle visibly shook with anger in the doorway.

"You, you'll wish you were dead, you were- will! I swear to god you'll pay, scarface!"

Hermione expected Harry to retort with a snarky remark as all of them had done during the last seven years of their childhood. But he remained tight-lipped.

Hermione watched as a slight panic-stricken face subtly pasted itself on his face and he simply stared at the oversized and enraged Slytherin.

Then small, pale hands reached around and gripped Goyle's shoulders just as the compartment doors opposite opened, and a beautifully deep voice said,

"What's going on here?"

Percy stood in the doorway, his swirling, reminiscent-of-blue-green-headlamps eyes narrowed at the scene in front of him. Hermione saw the rest of the Americans crowded behind him to see what was happening.

Goyle's face went slack for a minute, and his fat fingers uncurled from the edges of the door, the fight and all presence of an actual thinking human being vanishing form his face. He stood there like a statue.

The pale hands turned out to belong to Malfoy, who gave his fellow Slytherin an odd look as he stopped restraining him.

"Hello? Are we good here?" repeated Percy, slightly irritated that no one was responding.

No one in the compartment responded, unsure what the situation really was, but Malfoy turned to the muscly boy and opened his mouth to say something.

And then he turned very pale.

He seemed to choke on his words, before tugging on Goyle's now relaxed sleeve frantically, his eyes still glued to Percy in a manner of dazed-ness and disbelief, as if he recognised Percy, though had never wished to see him.

As if he never _wanted_ to see him again.

The similarly dazed, thought still freakishly subdued and blank-looking, overweight boy sluggishly tumbled after Malfoy, all fight drained away. Malfoy back-pedalled quickly and Hermione blinked after thinking she saw an guilty look grace Malfoy's face before he dragged his minion away.

Malfoy was _never_ guilty, or regretted his actions.

" _Who_ was that?" asked Percy, ridiculously staring after their retreating backs through the carriage door.

"I think the question is ' _what_ was that'." amended Leo from behind Percy, peeking out from under his arm. "Looked like an elephant to me."

"And a ferret." added Piper, her head underneath Percy's other arm.

Someone sniggered, and we all turned to see Neville with a guilty look on his face. "S-sorry."

"Yeah you're not the only one," commented Ginny, dryly, somehow standing in the aisle and watching the smidge that was now Malfoy and Goyle making their way down the aisle. She turned to he brother and smirked, "What was it you called him before, Ron?"

Ron stared blankly at her and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I've called him loads of stuff."

"You said he looked like a baboon's backside!" exclaimed Luna, her eyes wide with amusement. "That was so funny!" she said, the tell-tale signs of her imminent and attention drawing laugh already peeping out.

"Hey, look." said Hermione, staring out the compartment window. "We're practically there; I can see the station! Quick, get changed!"

Though, of course, that would be the beginning of when things went wrong.

 **AN: sorry i keep updating his chapter, it's just that a lot of discussing goes on in it, and when i continue the plot i remember that i said the opposite here.**? **i'm sorry, but i think you guys will jut have to bare with me. Thank you for all the support!**


	17. Of Bad Robes, Hellhounds and Paintings

**Percy's POV**

 **Percy vigorously fought against the material intent on asphyxiating him, ripping at the impenetrable cloth for air.**

"Seaweed Brain, stop! You're going to tear it!" floated a voice from afar, but the words had little effect as he struggled harder and the material tightened. He knew that buying magical robes had been a bad idea.

He looked up desperately for a glimpse of light, perhaps his last as he held his remaining breath, oddly taken back to a time he'd been afraid of drowning.

Not again.

A sliver of light slipped past Percy's eyes and he stilled for a moment before renewing his battle for freedom, digging through the fabric for the opening.

His head emerged through a hole and he panted, blinking his eyes to adjust to the light.

Annabeth was standing to his left with her arms crossed - dressed in her own robe - with a ' _really?'_ expression on her face while the rest of them were all ignoring him and starting to walk out.

"Bye, Percy!" said Piper cheerfully as she exited, giving him a little wave.

"Hey, I'm coming too! Wait!" he protested, limping toward the door.

"Uh, no," interrupted Annabeth, bringing up an arm to block his path, complete with deadly looking knife clutched in her hand. "We'll catch up with you guys!" she yelled out the door before turning back to Percy, who was just discovering that the reason for his lack of mobility was that his head was emerging from the sleeve and one foot from the other one.

"I love you, and I know we need to be focused on this quest, but we're starting _school._ I am not going to be the _vlacas_ who walks in with a spastic boyfriend. Six-pack or not." she asserted, watching as his head emerged from the right hole and his foot joined the other.

"Yeah, I love you too." he grumbled, and she beamed him sarcastically.

"Let's go."

The two walked out of the nearly empty train and followed the remaining stragglers when they couldn't find anyone they knew.

Percy found himself surrounded by monstrous trees the size of an elephant, stretching high into the cloudy sky, mist curling out of the dark woods. Cries often floated out of the forest and both himself and Annabeth peered into the woods to try and glimpse the creature, but the darkness swallowed all chance at seeing anything more than three trees in.

When the sun had set considerably lower and a darker grey had enveloped the sky, two carriages were waiting at the end of the path, one of which was about to depart. Percy and Annabeth watched as two skeletal black creatures began to walk forward, drawing the carriage behind them.

"Do they.." began Percy.

"Remind me of Nico? Yeah." finished Annabeth, as she stared at the calm horse-like beasts walk off.

The stragglers ahead were all conversing animatedly with each other and piled into the last carriage.

The two on the end noticed Percy and Annabeth standing awkwardly and looked between a each other before starting to shift up to make room.

"Look, if we squish up, one of you could probably fit..." said one girl with long black hair.

"No, no, it's fine, we'll wait for the next one. I think there's one being drawn up now." said Percy, gesturing behind him.

"Um, Percy-"

"We'll be fine honestly." he continued, talking over what Annabeth was saying. He was not going to leave her.

The dark haired girl nodded and smiled but looked at him oddly, among a few others in the carriage. The chattering group was now full of girls interested in what the hold up was, and Percy found himself greeted with at least ten pairs of eyes drinking up the scene.

"Oh, we can make room for you!" came someone else's voice, with dirty blonde curly hair.

"Yes, I'm sure we can!" said another voice enthusiastically.

Percy was about to refuse when Annabeth turned around from where she had been squinting into the distance, and saw the girls faces fall from hopefulness to disdain as their eyes fell on his stunning girlfriend.

Speaking of which, Annabeth glared at all the girls with her steely, headlamp-silver eyes and opened her mouth.

"We'll be fine thanks. Bye."

Her usually melodic voice dropped all charming pretence and oozed derision and power. The girls scowled.

Annabeth raised a hand and wiggled her fingers in a contemptuous wave, smiling at the girls as if they were her BFF's.

"What was that for?" asked a bewildered Percy.

"Never mind, Seaweed Brain." she replied, still glaring at the retreating carriage.

The carriage drew away, and no sooner than it got out of earshot did Annabeth spin Percy around and point at the approaching carriage.

"That doesn't look like a carriage to me." she said bluntly.

"What?" Percy peered into the distance at the growing speck, and groaned as the grey blob split into two, and then three. Five.

"I swear the gods hate us." stated Percy, tipping his head back and letting his arms dangle by his sides while Annabeth stared grimly at the approaching monsters.

"Nope, just fate. We'd both have been smited by now." reasoned Annabeth, not tearing her gaze away.

Percy sighed and shook off his bag, turning to Annabeth and holding out his other arm for hers. She smiled gratefully at him and handed him her bulging bag. Percy's arm almost dropped to the floor at the weight of the bag, even with demigodly strength.

"Jesus, Annabeth! What have you got in here?! A hammer?!" he exclaimed his eyes wide as he tried to balance the bag in his hand and keep it in the air.

He began to limp to the edge of the path to deposit their bags so they wouldn't be torn up when they got to the school.

"Yes,"

Percy wasn't really surprised.

"Now shut up and get ready. I want to get to the school before midnight."

He glanced at the path and was shocked to see how much ground the _things_ had covered.

"Annabeth? They look like hellhounds... but don't look like hellhounds."

The dogs sprinting toward them were muscly creatures, with three hairless stripes down each dark grey flank and small ears. They all sported bright, evil green eyes and sharp teeth that didn't fit into their muzzles. The hellhounds they were used to see a dark brown mastiff-like dog with red eyes, the size of a garbage to truck to a post box.

Percy brought out riptide and settled into a fighting stance as his sword appeared with a _shink!_

"I know, I've never seen them before." replied Annabeth, who flung both arms out and threw two daggers at the dog-like creatures.

The jagged, stocky, wolfish creatures leapt out of the way and slowed to a prowl, two making their way around the demigods.

"We can't let them get to the school." said Percy, turning to become back to back with Annabeth.

"Agreed." she responded, and Percy heard the _phmmp_ of another dagger appearing in her grip as she gazed at the two that had circled them. "They're making a plan." she murmured as the dogs started a low murmur between themselves, fierce expressions still on their faces as spit and occasional growls erupted from their mouths at the two. Percy saw two rows of sharp teeth in each mutt's mouth.

"Do you you know what they're thinking?" asked Percy, the two circling with their backs to each other to evaluate the hostile beasts.

"No... I can't. It's like they're talking in a language I can't even hear." she responded lowly, her hand gripping his briefly before she dropped into a lower stance.

This movement set off the dogs and they leapt into action, diving at the demigods.

Percy brought up his blade and dig his heels into the ground as the rhinoceros-sized mutt crashed into it staggering under the weight of the animal.

"You need to lose a few pounds, Clifford!" he managed to ground out as the dog snapped its jaws viciously at his face, his sword tucked under its chin. Percy tried to push the monster back, wary of the three others he couldn't see, but the monster wouldn't move an inch, spittle flying everywhere. His arm began to ache and he knew that he couldn't hold the monster back for much longer.

"Annabeth, move!" he instructed, and dropped his sword to dive to the side, praying that she didn't get plowed into by the unknown beast.

Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention to where he dived.

Claws enveloped him and disgusting, hot breath filled his nostrils, as if the beast had been waiting for him to give a hug, and it ripped at his sleeves, thankfully not tearing into his skin. Without the Achilles curse, Percy was sure his arms would have been ripped to shreds.

The beast then jerked violently, his claws digging painfully into Percy's side, and he gritted his teeth in order not to cry out. The two couldn't afford to attract more monsters from the woods.

The monster moved backwards, leaving Percy to slump onto the twig-littered ground gasping for breath.

Annabeth stood before him, her arm pointed toward the ground, and Percy tilted his head back to see an imperial gold spear protruding from the hellhound's muscles neck.

Silver dust erupted from the wound around the spear in puffs; every time it's heart beat another handful of monster juice was spat out.

"It should be gold"-

"Not the time Percy!" interrupted Annabeth, swerving to avoid a branch come hurtling from the woods, like on Asterix, and sweeping her arms up in an arch while ducking low to he ground as a monster leapt at her.

Percy could watch her fight all day.

But he caught sight of two others staring internally at her while she danced with another and decided that he didn't like their dangerous eyes.

"Hey, slobber-mouths! That's my girlfriend you're looking at, go find one your own species!"

He charged at the snarling mutts.

 **Jason's POV**

"They should be here by now." muttered Jason, looking anxiously at the big doors.

Piper placed a hand over his own and squeezed it. "I know."

The rest of their group exchanged nervous glances.

"We should have waited for them." he continued regretfully.

"There was no space left in the carriage anyway, Jason. Leo was sitting on the floor- there was no way they could have come with us." said Frank, though his face was as troubled as Jason's own. His words sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than anyone else.

"But I should have stayed behind to at least see them. They could have been hurt before they even left the train! Or before they got to the carriages!" he burst, his voice coming out in a strained whisper. _Why was no one else worried about them?!_ He thought furiously.

"Hey, mate, calm down." said Ron, looking at him reassuringly. "They've got that invincible thing going for them if they got hurt, and they might even just be waiting for another carriage. We don't have unlimited Thestrals to pull them."

Jason was too worried to really listen to Ron's words. He hadn't even glanced at the mesmerising ceiling or floating candles, or registered the odd glances he and he rest of the demigods were receiving.

"I can feel it, somethings wrong." he insisted, his worry peaking. "I'm going to go outside and see if they're in a carriage." decided Jason, rising from his seat.

Piper and Hermione both pulled him back to his seat before anyone could see him stalk angrily from the hall. They did not need a scene.

"Just, _wait."_ said Hermione. "The castle grounds are filled with faculty and Ministry Aurors." continued, nodding toward the head table where a few elderly and eccentric looking witches and wizards were sat. Jason pursed his lips and looked exasperatedly in their direction. There were four wizards standing still, tucked into the corners of the room and concealed in the shadows, looking sternly across the Grand Hall.

"Aurors? They here to make sure your soul doesn't wander off?" chided Leo, his tone surprisingly harsh. Jason glanced around their group and saw similar annoyed and concerned faces. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he wasn't the only one worried for their friends.

" _No._ " replied Hermione, giving him a look stern enough to rival the Aurors. She looked back at Jason with a much softer face that made him think that she understood.

"They're like the armed forces of the Ministry; they're the main fighters against the Dark Arts." she told him. "If you were one of the enemy, targeting the children on the opening day of a school is like honey to bees. Do you really think that any Death Eater could enter a five mile radius of Hogwarts without any one knowing?"

She wasn't wrong, thought Jason, but the loophole in her words still bugged him. "That's not what I'm worried about."

No sooner than the words had left his mouth did Professor McGonagall clap her hands together, and the room fell silent.

The doors shut.

 **Annabeth's POV**

Annabeth had not been expecting to ride an unidentified species of canine like a bucking bronco that day. Nevertheless, she rose to the occasion and resolved that the technique was in the grip.

Her thighs screamed as the mutt beneath her growled and bucked and twisted its head to snap at her but she gritted her teeth and squeezed harder, releasing one hand from the wolf's straggled hair to _eindex_ a steely knife into her grip.

The animal bucked again and almost sent her flying but she held fast and tore away her other hand, greasy hair tangled in her fingers that made her want to gag, to grip the knife in both hands. And she plunged it into the base of the animals neck.

The odd silver dust erupted into her face and filled her nostrils as the mutt dissolved under her and she barely kept her feet beneath her as she landed on the ground. Annabeth coughed and gagged, trying to get what was once the inside of the dog out of her mouth.

Once she felt clear, she raised her gaze to see Percy battling two while another prowled, waiting. She took a moment to note the blank steeliness in Percy's eyes as he ducked, parried and slashed, seeing the Achilles curse consume his fighting.

She sighed when she realised that no carriage was coming for them and they'd have to trek back to the castle before the curse took its toll and they passed out.

The growling of the last mutt caught her attention and she found that its gaze was no longer trained on Percy but on her.

It snarled, turning around to pace some more, showing her it's glowing teeth. They were stained red. Alarmed she looked at Percy and saw a deep red colour flash from under his robe.

That couldn't be right. His skin was supposed to be as rough as armour.

Her train of thought was interrupted as the dog pounced, jaws wide open, slobber toiling within its mouth. She spun around her right, building momentum and throwing a knife with her left hand I n its direction. She was too tired to deal with close-quarters combat.

As expected, the monster simply dropped out of the air and leapt to the right. But she was ready for him and _eindexed_ a spear into her right hand, using the rest of her momentum to let it fly into the dogs direction.

The mutts balance was off, and jumping further would result in it falling over while attempting to jump the other way wouldn't even be achieved.

The spear plunged deep into the animal's flesh and it melted into a puddle of silver dust.

Annabeth turned back to see Percy slash _Riptide_ into ones muzzle and it erupt into dust. Percy fell forward as the dog melted away and Annabeth watched as the remaining dog turned on him while his back was turned, claws extended.

Without even thinking Annabeth had let an arrow fly from a bow she _eindexed (why did she let Percy name her power)_ up. It landed home and the mutt dissolved.

She made her way toward Percy before he fell and gripped his arm. He glanced at her, his eyes droopy.

"Wha're you do'n?" he mumbled tiredly, sagging in her arms. She fought the desperate urge to yawn.

"Come on, Perce. We've got to get to the castle." mumbled Annabeth, hauling him to his feet. Percy staggered slightly but eventually straightened up. He lowered his head slightly and said:

"My lady."

Annabeth felt a small smile creep onto her lips and she took his hand, starting the long and arduous walk up to the castle.

 **Hazel's POV**

" _... as I sort thee,_

 _Remember your past,_

 _These times will surely not last,_

 _In spite we are all that is right,_

 _Save to each other by urging to fight."_

A round of applause filled the Grand Hall as the talking hat closed the rim it was speaking out of and Hazel joined in, glancing back at her table mates.

"Are they usually so foreboding?" she asked, looking at Harry who sat opposite her.

"No, but I think it can see the future slightly. It gave us a warning before..." he trailed off.

Hazel turned away from him, pressing her lips together and putting her hands inside her lap.

Jason was still stressing over Percy and Annabeth and Hermione and Piper were spending half their time keeping him in his seat. The other half of which, Hermione was repeating the Gryffindor common room password for Neville. _Yellow fizzwurts, yellow fizzwurts, yellow fizzwurts._

Hazel would be lying if she said that her concern for their whereabouts wasn't growing, and she was itching to find out where they were but if she rose from her seat...

A stout lady with wispy grey hair was now calling out names of first years, but Hazel paid no attention. There was a voice in her head.

 _'Hazel..'_ it wheezed, and she stilled. Voices in your head weren't a good sign.

' _Hazel, please...'_ it continued. She contemplated telling Frank, but she feared that they'd all think she'd gone crazy.

' _Hazel... shadow.. shadow...'_

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she tried to ignore it and focus on the small boy walking up to the stool with trembling arms. Deep breath, she thought.

' _Please... shadow tra...'_

 _Shadow travel?_

The voice wanted her to shadow travel? She could barely do it!

 _'We can't... Hazel..."_

The voice was Annabeth's.

Stupid! She was so stupid! Annabeth had talked into Piper's head before, at Grimmauld Place; how could she forget?

' _What's wrong?'_ Hazel tried to talk back to Annabeth in her head, but even sure if she could hear her.

' _Can't make it... the doors...sha... shadow travel...'_

Annabeth wanted her to shadow travel to the doors? Everyone would see her, even if she managed the feat. She'd only done it before in the House of Hades, where she'd had the help of her brother, Nico.

' _Other side...'_

To the other side of the doors? Were they injured?

Her thoughts rambled in in her head as she thought of what to do: she couldn't shadow travel! She was a daughter of Pluto! And even if she managed to without loading herself in the shadows, what if someone saw her?!

Her plight turned out to be for nothing as the doors swung open suddenly, and stout lady stopped calling out names.

Percy and Annabeth stood in the door way, leaning heavily on each other, their eyes closed. They were sprinkled in silver dust and looked worse for wear, their robes torn and faint marks covering them, sleep seeming to tug at both of their features.

Gasps went through the hall, and whether it be for their mysterious beauty or unannounced arrival, Hazel didn't know.

"Hey.." managed Percy weakly, and the five almost leapt out of their seats.

The Aurors that Hermione pointed out started forward immediately but Professor McGonagall stood up quickly, her chair scraping against the wooden floor as she held up a hand. They stopped but still looked warily at the two new students.

Annabeth drooped into Percy and they staggered, Percy using the wall to support them both, yet it seemed like he was just leaning on it while Annabeth leaned on him. Murmurs spread through the hall when their eyes opened and their odd and magical colours were revealed, Percy's travelling to Annabeth while hers looked at Professor McGonagall.

Hazel had to give the wizened witch some credit; she didn't even flinch as Annabeth presumably spoke to her telepathically. Annabeth sagged even further after using her powers. The witch's gaze switched to Hazel and she nodded at her.

Hazel didn't wait to find out what the nod meant as she was already out of her seat, along with Jason, and hurriedly making her way down the aisle, ignoring the stares she was receiving.

The two reached Percy and Annabeth at the same time and Hazel put her hand out to steady Percy, who was tipping sideways.

"What's wrong?! Where are you hurt?" whispered Jason frantically, scanning them for injuries.

They shouldn't have any but Hazel found herself examining the skin under their ripped clothes, finding them dotted with what looked like light grey scars.

"So... tired..." mumbled Percy, his unnatural eyes closing.

"I don't think they're hurt." said Hazel lowly. She took Percy by the arm and started to guide him from the doorway where everyone was gawking at them, trying to see what was happening.

The doors swung shut behind them and they were finally given some privacy.

Jason stumbled slightly when Annabeth fell from Percy and tipped straight into him.

"Mmmm... clifford..." she mumbled before sighing and letting her head fall backwards onto Jason's shoulder.

Jason looked at her incredulously, "Clifford? Did you hear that?" he shook Annabeth's shoulder gently, trying to wake her. She didn't move a muscle.

"It's the curse." concluded Hazel. "it makes them really tired after fighting."

"Fighting? Fighting _what?"_ fumed Jason. "They're covered in _silver dust."_

"I don't know, Jason." replied Hazel, at lost for answers as much as him. "We need to get them to the common room so they can sleep it off, but I think you'll have to carry Annabeth. She's out cold." Hazel tapped the girls cheek but she remained unmoving.

Hazel turned back to her own charge, "You better not pass out on me, Percy. I can't carry you."

"Yes, sir!" he mumbled, his face making weird expressions while his eyes remained closed. His hand raised slightly in what may have been a mock salute but it didn't make it further than his shoulders. He almost keeled forwards in the direction of his failed salute.

Hazel quickly tucked herself under his arm to steady him and put an arm around him, holding his wrist on the other side of her neck. She then turned back to Jason who was now carrying Annabeth.

"You know where we're going?" she asked hopefully, having no clue herself.

Jason shook his head, but started to peer around her. Hazel followed his gaze and found it locked onto a painting.

"I'm not going crazy, but I think that painting moved." he said, taking a step forward.

Hazel knew that he wasn't the only one; she'd only doubted her sanity less than five minutes ago.

The picture depicted a tanned, Egyptian-looking beauty, with long black hair and kohl lined eyes holding a shallow, oval-shaped bowl filled with a green paste, the same colour as the background. She looked the epitome of regal.

As the two demigods looked further, the woman blinked.

"Oh my gods, we're going mad." burst Hazel, blinking several times to try and clear her vision.

"Of course not, dear. But if you remain with that _male_ strung around your neck, you certainly will. My suggest is a pig, darling. They make good footrests." said the woman, coming to life and leaning forward slightly, as if the painting was a mere magnifying glass and she was sharing a big secret with her.

The breath audibly _wooshed_ our of Jason. "The painting moves. It _moves."_

"Well, of course it _moves,_ boy. What use would it be if it didn't?" she scolded, her thin lips pressing tightly together. She turned her gaze back to an awe-struck Hazel, "Make that two pigs, dear. One for each foot."

"Who are you?" she asked, ignoring her references to pigs. What was she talking about?

"I, my dear witch, am Circe!" she announced dramatically, raising her green-paste filled bowl in the air and inclining her head. "The great and powerful!"

Jason seemed to overcome his awe, "Isn't that ' _Oz the Great and Powerful'_?"

" _Excuse_ _me_?" scathed Circe, a callous expression fitting her face so well Hazel thought it must be her favourite.

" _'Oz'_ the wizard in that movie that saves"-

"Stop, boy! No further! You will not mock a real sorceress with these words of mockery!" she all but yelled, the green paste sludging around in its bowl violently. "You do not deserve to made into the likes of a pig! A guinea pig!"

Percy stirred in Hazel's arms, "No guinea pigs... pirates... small... nope..."

Jason looked at his cousin oddly.

Hazel turned to Jason and said lowly, "Circe hates males - you know, the goddess of Magic "- Hazel whispered this part for fear that it would inflate the witches ego. "I think Percy and Annabeth went to her island at some point."

Jason leaned forward, "How is a Greek goddess painted in Hogwarts? Surely she shouldn't know about magic?" he pointed out.

Hazel shrugged, "She is the goddess of magic, how could she not know?"

An idea popped into her head, and Hazel turned back to the painting, where the witches callous expression was back in place and she was waiting with her hand on her hips. "Circe? Do you think you could help us?"

"Help you? My dear, that would come at a price." she said dangerously. Hazel tried to hide her irritation for the gods and painted gods alike. Why could none of them be easy?

"What's the price?"

"Why, it would depend on you. What would you like?"

"The location of the Gryffindor common room." she asked, glad that they were finally getting somewhere.

The goddess looked at her thoughtfully. "Mmmm... and you will be carrying these two," she gestured with her free hand to Peru and Annabeth, the former of which was slowly getting heavier and heavier. Hazel pinched Percy's side to keep him awake and he jolted. "To there, as well?"

Jason and Hazel nodded.

"Turn this _boy_ into a pig."

Hazel blinked. " _What?"_

"I've changed my mind," continued the aloof witch. "Pigs are much more satisfying."

"But"- spluttered Hazel. She didn't know how to turn someone into a pig!

"I'll even throw in a secret passageway half way there if you do it completely, dear." bargained the goddess, arching an eyebrow at the demigodess.

How on Earth was she supposed to do- the Mist. Hazel could use the Mist to make it look like Jason was a pig!

"Alright then." she agreed. Behind her Jason choked.

"Excuse me, _what?"_

Hazel turned to Jason and hissed, "Trust me." He looked at her warily and took a deep breath but nodded.

"Ooo, this will be lovely! I haven't seen a boy turn into a pig in years!" exclaimed the painting, joyfully. Hazel gritted her teeth.

She focused on Jason and imagined a large pig in his place, with Annabeth lying on its back. She imagined Circe's delight at the transformation, not doubting for a second that he was really just standing there but under an illusion. Hopefully, painted copy's of Greek goddess's could be fooled by the Mist.

Slowly, the air around Jason shimmered and a stout pig stood in his place, Annabeth sitting precariously on his back. Her legs squeezed his sides to stay upright instinctively and Jason the pig squealed slightly.

"There." said Hazel, and she turned back to the painting who was staring at her curiously. "Now will you tell us where the common room is?"

The witch paused for a moment. "Hazel, is it?"

Hazel nodded.

"Very well. The common room is on the seventh floor."

Hazel's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "You can't be serious."

"Are you doubting me, child?" the goddess retorted, eyeing her. Hazel quickly shook her head.

"No! Not at all! It's just... Percy's really heavy." admitted, her arms already sore. His head was lolling on her own.

Then, to her amazement, her portrait swung forward to reveal a dark, stone passageway. "This will take you to the fourth floor, dear. You'll emerge on the edge of the Grand Staircase and you'll need to take eight more to get up to the seventh floor. Take two rights and walk down the corridor till you get to the painting of the Fat Lady."

 _Eight staircases._

"Thank you, Circe." said Hazel, unsure of what else to say.

The painting didn't reply and Hazel took that as invitation enough to enter, gesturing with Percy's hand for Jason to follow. She began to limp into the passageway, feeling stale drafts push lightly at her hair and darkness close in. It felt much like navigating her way around underground, she thought, sensing the small incline ten feet ahead of her that extended for another twenty, curving around to the right. Surely that wouldn't take them up four flights of stairs?

True to Circe's words they emerged at the other end of the passageway when another life-sized painting swung open, revealing the banister of a landing. Hazel trudged toward it and to her amazement, she gazed down to see the first floor, and eight sets of staircases in between them.

She turned around to see Jason trot out of the hole and the painting to swing back. Circe stood in this one as well, to Hazel's shock.

"Thank you," she repeated, and the woman nodded. She began to walk to the right as instructed when Circe called out.

"Hazel Levesque, demigod of Pluto, Weaver of the Mist. I hope we meet again."

Hazel turned, struck dumb. No way. She hadn't told the painting her name. And how did she know she used the Mist? _That she was a demigod?_

The painting merely raised her free hand and tapped the side of her nose twice, a sly smile on her lips.

A small amount of relief pumped through Hazel, and she felt somewhat sure that the woman would keep their secret.

"If you ever need to use this passageway again, my dear, be sure to say ' _Piggywiggy'." s_ he added as an afterthought.

Hazel smiled at the benevolent painting. She sure liked the gods a lot more when they were tucked into a canvas.

 **AN : Thank you for reading! I'm trying to get back into the rhythm of things, but i'd highly recommend going back and reading the last chapter because I've made some big changes to how the plot will continue. I will keep doing this a lot as I'm trying to get as many chapters out as quickly as I can, and when a new idea pops into my head I have to go back and make sure it fits in so there aren't any plot holes. Thank you for understanding!**


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